Ethnic Make-Up of Nigeria

Let me start off by being completely transparent, I’m VERY proud of my Yoruba heritage. From the culture’s language to its history, I’ve always been completely enamored with it. I come from a family who for the most part has never been afraid to embrace their culture, and that appreciation has spread to me. It’s because of these influences that I’ve never thought of the Yoruba people as a regional identity within the country of Nigeria (Such as being a Texan in America), but rather as its own entity. I’ve always thought the same of the Igbo, Hausa, and the various other cultures in the country, never have I seen them as parts of an overall Nigerian culture. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the problems cultural identity has caused for Nigeria. From the constant conflicts to the various interests trying to dominate one another, the diversity of culture in Nigeria has made unity within the country hard. I sympathize with the idea that Nigeria should follow Tanzania’s lead and eliminate their cultural identities in order to adopt a Pan-Nigerian identity. While I understand the idea is filled with good intentions from advocates who want a prosperous and united country, I still do not support it. I wholeheartedly believe that preserving cultural identity is important in creating a successful country in Africa that is attuned to the values of the people within it and many need to realize that there are other solutions beyond Julius Nyerere’s policy of ethnic repression. The goal for unity should not be to eliminate difference in Nigeria, but to create a system that can manage it.

I cannot deny that Tanzania was able to create unity through the methods of its leader Julius Nyerere, I’m not arguing against that at all. My problem is, I don’t think it should be the solution we should aim for. Nyerere’s goal for unity was ultimately to create a national identity, and he did this by creating an overall Tanzanian culture to supplant the ethnic identities of the citizens within the country. His policy was about assimilation rather than co-existence. To do this he made Swahili the national language, and created institutions that suppressed ethnic identities. His efforts to create national unity worked but at the cost of the individual cultures of the country’s people. Some in the newer generations don’t even know the language or history of their culture. If Nigeria emulated this policy then ethnic groups like the Yoruba, Igbo and many others would fade away in favor of a Nigerian identity that the people didn’t consent to.

Some might wonder why preserving cultural identity even matters, and say “if it means Nigeria will be united then maybe it’s worth it”. I don’t entirely believe it is worth it though, why should people have to sacrifice cultures that matter to them for the sake of a country forced together by colonizers? Eliminating cultural identities would mean getting rid of languages and histories that defined people within the country. I feel like the very fact that we see the diversity of Nigeria (and other African nations to be honest) as a problem is one of the lingering legacies of colonialism. It seems like we’re still trying to conform to Eurocentric ideas and expectations instead of looking for options that will maintain the aspects that make us who we are as people within the continent of Africa. Hausa, Edo, Igbo and the many other tribes within the country are a part of what make the people within the continent distinctly African, and to eliminate them in favor of a country forced upon its citizens seems like more of a loss than a win. Ethnic groups like the Kurds are proud of the culture and many support their desire for self-determination despite being part of other countries. Do the various cultural groups within Nigeria not have that same right to want a political sovereignty and have a government that matches their values and beliefs? Why would people rather fight to keep a country forced together, and even go as far as to advocate for eliminating cultures that define us? No one should have to sacrifice a culture they’re proud of for the sake of something no one asked for. I understand the desire for unity, if the country were united then Nigeria would be the giant of Africa that it was always meant to be. Despite what it may seem like, I don’t want Nigeria to separate either. I just don’t think the only path to unity requires sacrificing the cultures that make us distinctly African. I could be wrong, but I suspect that the only reason most call for an eliminating cultural identity is because they feel it’s the only way to unity rather than having a genuine desire for a Pan-Nigerian identity. If this is true then there are solutions out there to make people who want unity happy while also the preserving cultures in the country.

One solution I have always thought about is to restructure the country along the lines of what Ethiopia is attempting right now. A sort of federalism that creates autonomous regions with people that have common culture and values. Some might point to the First Republic of Nigeria and how it had a structure similar to this, and that is a very valid point. But the First Republic was incredibly flawed, some wouldn’t have even described it as genuine Federalism. There were many parts of the original constitution that gave the federal government the authority to easily over power the different regions of the country. This was a recipe for conflict because it gave the various ethnic groups a reason to fight for power with one another, every group wanted control of the national government either to execute its interests or to protect it against the interests of another region. To have a successful multi-cultural government, you need to take the powerful federal government out of the equation. Every region should have its own sovereignty in domestic affairs, while the national government should mostly be for external matters that affect the entirety of the country. Also, to help foster unity the country could embrace an identity that co-exists with everyone’s respective cultural ones. The African identity, it’s hard to deny that there is a sort of African solidarity and it doesn’t displace anyone’s culture like the Tanzanian identity did. Doing these things could help lessen hostilities between the different cultural groups of Nigeria and help create the unity many desire. Of course, this won’t solve the entirety of the country’s problems, especially when there are politicians who would rather fuel ethnic conflicts and dominate one another for their own personal benefit, but this is an effective first step. This is just one possible pathway to a country that is prosperous and a place where people can be proud of their respective culture, history and language without destabilizing levels of conflict. Overall, the point I’m trying to make is that it’s possible to preserve our cultures while also being united in purpose. There will always be divisions between people, what we should strive for is managing them and finding common ground.