Tribalism, Ethnicity And Racism : NO! .... Common Sense, Tolerance And Nationalism : YES!

I am a Nigerian. I admit I am not exactly the most renowned writer, as this could probably be called my maiden piece. Having said that though, I consider myself a thought writer, and I feel thought-writing is subjective; if they are your thoughts, then no-one else can write them as well as you can think them. Thus, this piece should be judged and understood accordingly.

 Now, notice the very first sentence of this article - ''I am a Nigerian''. A simple statement that seems innocuous at first glance, but when read or said in the same breath as the other subsequent sentences, transforms into a powerful choice of words due in no small part to its placement. Simply put, saying 'I am a Nigerian' should precede every other emotion and (or) attachment. Saying and being a Nigerian is far more important than being Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Ijaw, TIV, Ibibio, Nupe, Kanuri and so on.  Being a Nigerian should be the be-all and end-all.  The priority of common sense, my people, is everything.

Tribalism is a cancer that has eaten deep into the fabric of our society. How do we get rid of this cankerworm? Where do we even start? There is a big difference between identifying with one's people (which this author embraces whole-heartedly) and looking down or discriminating against another set of people different from yours. Negative ethnicity has, and always will be, the bane of any modern society.

Most people would usually associate racism to imperialist colonial white man and 19th century slave owners. However, I've come to the realization that tribalism, which we are mostly all guilty of, is indeed the same as racism to a certain degree. Actually, it might even be worse. Allow me explain.

Now, we know racism to be discrimination against a group of people of a different race or colour. This is bad and morally condemnable.  However, when people of the same race take it upon themselves to willingly or unwillingly discriminate against others from their own race, then it becomes totally absurd, comically foolish and just brings tears to my eyes.  To describe this better, let me put it in context:  As bad and as terrible as it is for, say, a white man from Russia, to hate and discriminate against an Ijebu man from Ogun, it's even worse if that said Ijebu man equally discriminates against an Igbo man from Enugu or a Hausa man from Sokoto, or even an Ashanti man from Ghana. It's laughable, almost.

Yes, we are all inherently racists. That is my perspective. A perspective that has been carefully cultivated after encompassing observation of human interaction across different planes. It is a perspective that is admittedly, quite the opposite of my assertions in the previous paragraphs. However, there is a catch. In as much as I believe we are all racists to a degree, I have also come to the understanding that some are just more racist than others. Basically, every human has a tinge of racism in them, it is just more obvious in some, while it's much more latent in the others who have successfully used a good conscience, and developed true love for their fellow humans irrespective of race. A bit confusing, I admit, but this is a particular topic that I wish to expatiate further on in subsequent write-ups as its scope is just too deep to be covered here.

This is not a religious piece, however the word 'tolerance' has to be used here. With the application of tolerance, an effective panacea to the problem of racism and tribalism is found. This is where common sense also comes into play.  Ladies and gentlemen, pause and ponder on this tricky situation: An Igbo man; his marriageable daughter.. A credible suitor; his Yoruba lineage.. A hopeful couple; their prospective union shattered by ethnic difference.. Unfortunately for our society, the above scenario happens far more often than we think, an almost perfect coming together marred by the scourge that is tribalism. An opportunity for positive cultural assimilation destroyed. What is the solution, you might ask? Again, I go back to the premise of tolerance and common sense.  The tolerance to allow and condone other people of different tribal leanings into your personal space and the common sense to understand that ethnic culture can be learned and imbibed.  Nothing stops one from learning about other cultures and tribes.  Thus, our hypothetical Yoruba groom above could easily have learned his prospective Igbo father-in-law's culture and vice versa.

The great American human rights crusader, Martin Luther King, famously said – “Do not judge a person by the color of his skin (or tribal leanings), but by the content of his character''.  A powerful statement indeed.  Truer words have never been spoken.  If the society learns to judge an individual by his character and his character alone, the menace of tribalism is reduced drastically, and in the larger world, racism is practically wiped out.

This issue of tribalism affects every facet of our society and none more so than in the government. In more detribalized nations, people are elected into government positions on plain merit and sheer adequacy for the job. In our society, we hear things like 'zoning', 'south south', 'core north', 'south east', 'middle belt' and so on.  And I ask, why can't the job be done by whoever is right for it irrespective of his tribe or ethnic geographic leanings?  To put this in context, if Nigeria was the U.S.A, Obama would not be president. Sad, but true.

The late Nnamdi Azikiwe is rightly lauded as Nigeria' first president. I see him as more than that.  Azikiwe was a true nationalist as he put the general nation's well-being ahead of his, and that of his particular ethnic group. His nationalism knew no bounds, and even stretched across Africa, and he was indeed appropriately named – “The Zik of Africa”.  Zik's pioneering nationalist outlook is still amazing even to this day.  He was first an African before a Nigerian; and he was first a Nigerian before an Igbo man. Needless to say, if our politicians of today adopted this template, our society would have been in a much better place.         

In conclusion, all hope is not lost though.  It's never too late to learn. It's never too late to imbibe. It's never too late to assimilate. Let us all try to learn and appreciate tribes and cultures that are different to ours.  Yes, by all means, be proud of your lineage and tribe but in the same vein, learn to tolerate others. We often say that our leaders need to change, but sometimes that little spark can come from us individually. Let us love one another without the rotten scales of tribalism covering our hearts. Be a character judge, not a tribal judge. The next time your daughter wants to marry someone from a seemingly 'obscure' tribe, if you must object, let your honest answer be along the lines of - “No, I object because I don't feel he's from a good background” and NOT – “No, I object because he's a mallam from Maiduguri!”… Tribalism and racism are unprogressive and cancerous. Avoid them. Have common sense. Develop tolerance. Imbibe nationalism. Be a Nigerian first, then every other thing will fall in place and our society becomes a much better place for us all.

I am a Nigerian... My name is John Jnr Adike.. Care to introduce yourself?