The Hypocrisy Of Nigeria’s Ethnic Fissure

by Eromose Ileso

Its no longer news to hear about the continuous fault lines of Nigeria’s ethnic divisions. That much has been obvious from the very foundation of the country, even before its independence. That bitter ethnic division got to a head when the Nigerian civil war broke out in 1967. The domino effect of that conflict is still being felt by a session of the country.

However, in spite of the ethnic divisions prevalent in everything Nigerian, it is the hypocrisy of some of these divisions which fosters in the background that clearly shows that there is something imminently wrong with the disposition of some Nigerians. When it comes to mundane issues few play up the sentiments of the ethnic divisions, but when it comes to politics, it becomes a tool by which sections of the country have used to beat others from different regions.

Let us take a scenario which is common place in various homes of affluent Nigerians. In most home in Southern Nigeria, especially those of the wealthy, their security details especially those that man the gate to the entrance of some their mansions, are men who are of Northern extraction. Usually, you seldom see local indigenes who would be gate-men, so most of these jobs are left to those who are from the North. 

But when these same wealthy Nigerians play up the ethnic politics for their own selfish interest, they easily forget that they have a domestic staff that is from a part of the country they have completely vilified. It is a scenario that is being played out daily in the Nigeria society.

It doesn’t end there. In most places in Eastern Nigeria, people from Abakiliki, Ebonyi state used to be the domestic workers you find in most homes. But, as a result of the prevalence of some unsavoury experiences, where some of these workers and those that brought them connive to elope after the person has been paid for bringing such a domestic worker in question down from Ebonyi. 

As a result of this, some Easterners have gravitated towards people who come from the North as their domestic workers. As an instance, in Nnewi, Anambra State, there are a lot of domestic staffs who are from the North especially in Uru community. They were brought down by different persons. Most of them are brought in in their early teens. But at this domestic level, people seldom see through the ethnic divisions to bring in domestic staffs who are from the North into their homes, yet at the political stage, the ethnic sentiments is always played out as a theme to score a point which is never for the overall good of their constituents, but for their personal gains.

Besides, there are several wealthy Southern Nigerians who have little ranches where they rear cattles, because the Hausa-Fulani are the predominant people who deal with catering for livestock, they are employed in these ranches to carter for these animals. Again, this is prevalent locally.

In the North, there are some very conservative Muslims, who have core Christians from Southern Nigeria as their domestic staffs, some have cooks who are from Calabar, Cross River state. Others have chauffeurs who are from the South West. Yet, it is the same Nigerians from the North, who would fly the kite of “the born to rule” template of which some Northern elements and politicians have continually used to foster their interest.

The question then is why is it that the elites especially from the North are quick to play up ethnic sentiments when it comes to politics, but they seldom play up such sentiments in their private lives?

In early May, 2017, a friend who is a consultant gynecologist, told me about his experience where he did his national service in Sokoto. He mentioned a very core conservative Muslim whose children were attending a catholic school. One of the top schools in that area. But you ask yourself, such a person is comfortable doing this when it comes to taking strictly private decisions that concerns him and his family, but for some reason or another, when that same person gets to a position to take similar decision in national political circles, the religious and ethnic sentiments would be used to score a cheap point.

It is very clear that ethnic divisions is used by elitist Nigerians especially those from the North and many from the South to continue to subjugate certain sections of their political base so that they would perpetually be subservient to them. Time and again, issues that ought to be for the overall good of every Nigeria, is used to play ethnic politics.

As a result of this, certain laws that should have aided in the advancement of some key sectors of the Nigerian state have not seen the light of day because of this. 

In this instance is the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) this is a bill that would have completely overhauled the Nigerian oil and gas sector, but the bill has been held hostage by Northern elements in the National Assembly, because of the benefits that would have accrued to oil producing communities in the Niger Delta. Several sections of the bill had been watered down which has almost rendered useless the original intentions of the drafters of the bill. 

The fact that the bill has gone through several parliaments and still not seen the light of day, only goes to show that national interest is not of concern to most of those that represent the interest of Nigerians, rather it is pure personal interest. 

Most of the Northern interest that has lobbied for the bill not to pass over the years, have interest in the oil and gas sector, so in order to avoid a scenario where the PIB might alter certain benefits, it has consistently been opposed. Again it comes down to personal interest. 

The common man in the streets of Northern Nigeria, doesn’t know anything about the Petroleum Industry Bill. But their representatives at the National Assembly are the reason why the bill has not become an Act of parliament for fifteen years.

It is clear that when it comes to ethnic matters, the Nigerian political elite operate with double standards. They have one standard for political matters and another for their private lives. And the former is driven by private benefits despite it being premised on public matters.

This same scenario applies to most Nigerians outside the political sphere especially in their approach to ethnic issues.