The National Anthem and the Pledge of Nigeria task Nigerians with one responsibility which is to uphold the unity of the country and not destroy the labour of our heroes past. After Nigeria gained independence, the one thing our forefathers fought for and vowed to ensure was the unity of the people.
Their dream is to raise a nation where tribe, religion, or ethnic group does not define anyone but what would define a Nigerian will be the spirit of resilience, hard work, honesty, truth, and love. Today if there is one thing we all can say, it is that we have failed our forefathers. On the score sheet, we have gotten a -1/10 which means we have more than failed.
When we meet a fellow Nigerian the first thing that should come to mind is that we have found our brother or sister but for a lot of people, the first thing we see is the name which tells the tribe they belong to, the language they speak and above all the region they represent. From this moment on, we form an opinion about them, one which sometimes is based on stories that we have heard, encounters that we have had or just a belief we have formed.
A few weeks back, a Yoruba businessman Sunday Igboho had ordered Fulanis in the South-Western part of the country to vacate the area and take their cattle with them as they have no right to graze on the land belonging to the Yoruba people. For a lot of people, the activist is right – everyone should work and eat in their fatherland. Maybe we then need to examine what exactly defines the indigeneship of a Nigerian – his name, tribe, place of birth, or parents’ state? Absolutely all of the above, so if a tribe migrates and settles in another for a prolonged period of time, then that tribe automatically becomes an integral part of such location, if not by naturalization, then certainly, by being a Nigerian.
This order by Sunday Igboho is an opposition to the belief and values of our forefathers. If we all claim to be one people and one nation, then everyone deserves to live, thrive and build wherever they please. Sending the Fulanis back to the North would mean sending them away from their homes, a place they have found shelter and love. This is not the first time tribal wars have emerged in Nigeria – from the era of the great Biafra war sectionalism, regionalism and ethnic divide have been the order of the day.
A Yoruba man would rather grant favours to another of his tribe, a Hausa man would appoint another Hausa man in cases of a vacancy in an office, and an Igbo man would award contracts to another of the same ethnic background, choosing tribe over competency, professionalism. Several lives, properties, talents have been lost to the devilish war of tribes and the question we ask after the end of each one is “What is One Nigeria – a myth or a fallacy? Then we wait till the next begins.
Regardless of our first name or tribe, Nigeria should be the home of everyone. In our fathers’ houses, there are no boundaries – every space is considered home so also for Nigerians, every part of Nigeria should be called home. Today every Nigeria is mandated to take on the responsibility of building a safe haven for the next Nigerian no matter the tribe or region.
Read also: Sunday Igboho: A Private Citizen Cannot Just Wake Up And Eject People Femi Falana
Read also: Sunday Igboho: A Private Citizen Cannot Just Wake Up And Eject People Femi Falana
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