Friends, is there any real fight between Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria? Let me first tell you that I am a businessman with business interests in oil and gas exploration activities, petroleum products marketing, health and nutrition, network marketing and lately a part-time online blogger………………….. lol! I have been in businesses for close to two decades in and outside Nigeria. I have met, interacted and did businesses with so many nationals, different ethnicity, various people of different faiths and both sexes. I have observed different trends in conducts, attitudes and styles of different people to businesses and career developments. So, the real fight between Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria is a short report of practical observations and experiences.
What is the real fight between Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria?
I observed that on social networks and some public discussions, some individuals are quick to start taking on people from other tribes, trying to show supremacy of opinion or trying to make the other tribes look retrogressive, backward or uncivilized. Some discussions escalate to name calling, abuses and unnecessary arguments to paint the other person or tribes with a global paint of condemnation. I have seen educated people dug up history and distort it to suit their emotions and recruit gullible individuals to support a parochial and sentimental viewpoint purposely to cause hatred against the other person or tribe. Personalities have been disparaged, disrespected and condemned through shallow analysis. Some of these ethnic jingo!sts and tribal b!gots are products of misinformation and frustrated backgrounds. It is therefore of importance to discuss the real fight between Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria for the education, information and knowledge of those who genuinely want to be better informed and enlightened.
The real fight between Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria is not about tribal supremacy or religious struggles. Any conflict that has ever ensued between any of the tribes is a product of the manipulations of the political class. The politicians find the gullibility of Nigerians as a fertile ground to cause mischief and disorganize the people for their own selfish interests. It is unfortunate that these were not parts of the legacies of our founding fathers. It is on record that the competitions that existed between the Northern, Western and Eastern regions at independence were about how to better the lots of the people and each of the regions in terms of education, trade and welfare of the citizens. There are records of mutual understandings, collaborations and cooperation between Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. Some of us who are privileged to have stumbled on videos of political deliberations among the politicians of the first republic and watched great speeches of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and others are captivated by their vision, confidence and sagacity. What then is the real fight between Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria?
As a businessman, I observed that the Hausas, Igbos and Yorubas don’t have problems with each other in businesses of mutual interests. I observed that notable businessmen and women like Aliko Dangote (the richest black man), Mike Adenuga, Emeka Offor, Femi Otedoa, Ishiyaku Rabiu, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and several others that cut across the three main tribes and other minority tribes don’t discriminate in their employment or appointment into key positions of their businesses. They source for best hands and treat everybody equally without favouritism for the progress and prosperity of their businesses.
As a product of an underprivileged background, I observed that the real fight between Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria is not about whose voice is loudest and which tribe has more billionaires or more notable politicians. I have lived in a face-me-I-face-you house where people of different tribes and different faiths live together in peace and harmony. They draw up roasters to clean the compound and the toilets. It does not matter which tribe the landlord belongs, they share moments of happiness and grieve together. They share electricity bills according to the ratio of appliances in each room. The children grow up together to know each other as brothers and sisters of same parents. Some of us who came from such background have the unique privilege of knowing the country and the cultures better. So where is the real fight between Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria?
Even in religion, I have seen Muslims contribute to building of churches. I have seen Christians help the Muslim communities. I know of wealthy individuals who have built religious houses for people of different places. A story was recently reported of how an Islamic organization offered free services to ensure that a church that was demolished by a government got not just adequate compensation but also a befitting site for reconstruction of a new church. An Imam of a local mosque died recently and it was amazing to see delegates of two different churches in his areas at his burial site. In fact, the Christians were reported to have helped in digging of his grave simply because the Imam was known to be fair to everybody and just in settlement of disputes among people of different faiths. Then I ask; what then is the real fight between Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria?
In conclusion, I realized and observed that the real fight between Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria is not what we are made to believe by online war mongers, social networks flag-wavers, ethnic j!ngo!sts and tribal big0ts whose objectives are to cause disaffection, hatred and conflicts between the peace loving people of Nigeria. I am convinced without any reasonable doubt that the real fight between Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria is not really a fight or conflict. It is about cooperation, healthy competition and mutual collaboration to tackle common enemies like poverty, diseases and ignorance. That is why ordinary people on the streets are not hesitant to discuss and trust each other freely irrespective of religious or ethnic differences. Those who see fights between the tribes that make up the entity called Nigeria are stuck in the illusions created by selfish, self-centered and mischievous politicians, and are helped by their willing tools who are not in short supplies especially on social networks.
As for me, I see no real fight between Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria. I am stubbornly committed to one peaceful, prosperous and indivisible country. What about you?
Tunde Alabi
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