Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by zimoni(f): 11:25pm On Apr 16, 2015 |
Saw this on facebook and decided to share.
STOP TEACHING TRIBAL SUPERIORITY
For those wondering why most Igbo feel they are superior to other tribes in Nigeria and why I have been shouting myself hoax these days about the end to racial superiority, I will not stop because I will continue to provide facts to back up my claim. Any Hausa, Yoruba, Ijaw, Efik who claim tribal superiority should be roundly condemned too, all of us must identify this dangerous trend because if we don't, we shall only be postponing the evil days.
CHINUA ACHEBE did much in his work THERE WAS A COUNTRY to paint other tribes as envious of IGBO superiority and he did much to damage the psyche of most Igbo who will read his work and be inspired to believe him. This should provide explanation for the reason why some Igbo youths believe that they are the best in Nigeria, that they country the country's economy, that other tribes are dirty and that other people's lands should be categorizes as 'terra nullius' (no man's land).
Below are some of the "Igbo Supremacist" quotes from Achebe's book: 1. The Igbo “led the nation in virtually every sector – politics, education, commerce, and the arts." (Pg. 66)
Achebe suddenly forgot the facts that the Yoruba man Esan da Darocha (from Ilesha) was the first millionaire in Nigeria. The Yoruba business-woman Madam Efunroye Tinubu (1805-1887) was the first woman in Nigeria to buy a car. William Akinola Dawodu (A Yoruba) born in 1879 was the first importer (dealer) of motor car in Nigeria -he was the sole agent for firestone tyres, Dogde, Chevrolet, and Rio motors. He was also the principal promotor of numerous Ford vehicles in the country. The first Igbo man to buy a car was , Igwe Orizu I (Eze Ugbo Onya Mba) in 1912.
Kano: In 1851, this city, one of the largest in Africa, made 10 million sandal pairs and 5 million hides for export every year.
Alhassan Dantata, born in 1877, was a Northern Nigerian Kolanut trader and was described as perhaps the richest man in West Africa at the time of his death in 1955; In 1929, when the Bank of British West Africa, opened a branch in Kano, Dantata placed 20 Carmels loads of silver coins in it. That was money speaking.
But Achebe did not see all these as anything so long as the achievers are not Igbo; because only Igbo were leaders in commerce.
The Yorubas were already doctors and Lawyers almost 70 years before the Igbo, but to Achebe, the Igbo were the first in everything. Achebe forgot that Madam Efunroye was sending trading missions to several countries, including Europe before Amalgamation of Nigeria. The fact that the man who gave the Igbo their alphabet (Latinized script) was Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba, but according the Achebe, the Igbo led the nation in politics, education, commerce etc.
The NCNC credited to be Igbo party, was co-founded by Herbert Macaulay, a Yoruba who was the first President of that Party; before NCNC, The Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) Nigeria's first political party was formed in 1923 by Herbert Macaulay (a Yoruba) to take advantage of the new Clifford Constitution, the NNDP successfully organized various Lagos interest groups into a single group that was able to compete politically.
In fact a careful study of the list of the associations which made up the NCNC part showed that it was an amalgamation of several cultural associations, and labor movements formed in 1944; with very few Igbo associations represented but according to Achebe, it was the Igbo who led the nation in politics. See the List of the NCNC founding associations below to judge for yourself:
T.U.C. of Nigeria National Democratic Party Associated Press (Zikist) Demobilized Soldiers Union Calabar Improvement League Lagos Market Women Union Ebute Butchers Union (Lagos) Tailors Union of Nigeria Bamenda Improvement Association Nigerian Union of Students Yaba Estate Social Club Ahoada District Union Council of Ijebu National Societies Ekpoma Progress Union Ezi Wlefare League Igbotako Progressive Society Igbanke Union Ijebu Igbo Patriotic Society Ila Patriotic Union Ipetu Improvement Union Kwale Improvement Union West African Union of Seamen Nigeria Reconstruction Group Youths Literary Improvement Association of Master Tailors Commercial Biz League Farmers Committee of West Africa Akure Federal Union Council of Ijesha Societies Enugu Divisional Union Ishan Progress Union Ekpoma Progress Union Ezi Wlefare League Igbotako Progressive Society Igbanke Union Ijebu Igbo Patriotic Ila Patriotic Union Ipetu Improvement Union Kwale Improvement Union Seamen Nigeria Reconstruction Group Youths Literary Improvement Association of Master Tailors Commercial Biz League Farmers Committee of West Africa Akure Federal Union Council of Ijesha Societies Egbado Improvement Union Enugu Divisional Union Ekiti Parapo Society Mbaise Union Edo National Union
2. The Igbo were “the dominant tribe.” (pg. 233) Achebe forgot that the Yoruba had Telephone connection close to 70 years before the Igbo, and that Itu was connected before Enugu. The Hausa/Fulani built empires and cities centuries before the amalgamation of Nigeria, but to Achebe, the Igbo were the dominant tribe.
3. “This group, the Igbo, that gave the colonizing British so many headaches and then literarily drove them out of Nigeria was now an open target, scapegoats for the failings and grievances of colonial and post-independent Nigeria.” (pg. 67) According to Achebe, it is the Igbo alone who chased the British out of Nigeria. The works of Awolowo, Herbert Macaulay, Anthony Enahoro, Pa Michael Umoru, and others.
Obafemi Awolowo advocated federalism as the only basis for equitable national integration; as head of the Action Group, he (Awolowo) led demands for a federal constitution, which was introduced in the 1954 Lyttleton Constitution, following primarily the model proposed by the Western Region delegation led by him.
4. Achebe writes, has “an unquestioned advantage over his compatriots…Unlike the Hausa/Fulani he was unhindered by a wary religion, and unlike the Yoruba he was unhampered by traditional hierarchies…Although the Yoruba had a huge historical head start, the Igbo wiped out their handicap in one fantastic burst of energy in the twenty years between 1930 to1950.” (pg. 74)
Describing the religion of others as 'wary' is not palatable, and to trivialize the traditional culture of the Yoruba is an arrogant display of supremacy and tribalism.
5. “It is my impression that Chief Obafemi Awolowo was driven by an overriding ambition for power, for himself in particular and for his Yoruba people in general…However Awolowo saw the dominant Igbos at the time as the obstacle to that goal, and when the opportunity arose – the Nigeria – Biafra War – his ambition drove him into a frenzy to go to every length to achieve his dreams. In the Biafran case it meant hatching up a diabolical policy to reduce the number of his enemies significantly through starvation – eliminating over two million people, mainly members of future generation. (pg. 233)"
It is obvious from the above quote that Achebe has sown the seed of hatred against the Yoruba in the minds of the Igbo forever. Claiming Awolowo had overriding power for himself and his Yoruba people. He arrogantly claimed Awolowo saw the 'dominant' Igbo as a threat and obstacle that must be removed. This is a deliberate incitement against the Yoruba by an opinion leader and influencer like Achebe. This self-delusive claim of dominance above others is common in several narratives among both the Literates and Illiterates Igbo. This nonsense must stop, it is standing history on its head to claim the Igbo are the dominant ethnic group in Nigeria. Yet these are the people who will accuse all others of tribalism.
According to Achebe within 20 years, the Igbo became the leading tribe in Nigeria, he made this assertion without any statistics.
He made it look like other tribes stopped developing. When evidence contradicted his arrogant claim. The first TV station in Africa was created in the 1950s by Obafemi Awolowo with money from Cocoa; the first University in Nigeria (the University of Ibadan) was founded at Ibadan and not in Igbo land. Awolowo built the first stadium in Africa, the first high rise building in Nigeria, first industrial estate. I guess the Igbo within 20 years surpassed all these records and only the Igbo grew because other tribes went to sleep.
If an intellectual like Achebe could have this supremacist attitude, then one needs not be surprised when not-so educated Igbo claim that their tribe are the richest, the cleanest, the best in Nigeria. This attitude gives false sense of entitlement because people fed with these falsehood will grow up wondering why they are not the leaders in all aspects of the economy since they are the best.
We must make it a mission to correct this dangerous attitude, because it has led to several violent conflicts before not only in Nigeria but in Nazi Germany and in Rwanda. There is nothing like a superior tribe. We must also stop sweeping all dangerous comments and tribalist claims under the carpets for the sake of 'peace.' If not corrected, we are only postponing the evil days. 7 Likes 2 Shares
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Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by zimoni(f): 11:31pm On Apr 16, 2015 |
In my own opinion, Nigeria is like a forced-marriage, a nation that was never supposed to exist at all.
There are so many problems, the genuine love isn't there at all. We are just enduring the marriage, no tribe is enjoying the forced-marriage.
And, I don't believe Da Rocha was Ijesha. He was a Creole Lagosian. The first Nigerian Millionaire.
All shall be well with this nation, we shall overcome the problems someday. I believe. 2 Likes |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by ajoguegbe(m): 11:36pm On Apr 16, 2015 |
Op the title is nothing but the opposite of your write up. You only tried to prove the yorubas and Hausa are more superior unlike what achebe book alludes. Get a life 2 Likes |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by Nobody: 12:10am On Apr 17, 2015 |
IGBO==> I Go Befor Others We lead and u follow. Stop lamenting! Thank you ![grin](https://www.nairaland.com/faces/grin.png) 4 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by smithadam: 12:12am On Apr 17, 2015 |
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Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by Duru1(m): 12:20am On Apr 17, 2015 |
zimoni: Saw this on facebook and decided to share.
STOP TEACHING TRIBAL SUPERIORITY
For those wondering why most Igbo feel they are superior to other tribes in Nigeria and why I have been shouting myself hoax these days about the end to racial superiority, I will not stop because I will continue to provide facts to back up my claim. Any Hausa, Yoruba, Ijaw, Efik who claim tribal superiority should be roundly condemned too, all of us must identify this dangerous trend because if we don't, we shall only be postponing the evil days.
CHINUA ACHEBE did much in his work THERE WAS A COUNTRY to paint other tribes as envious of IGBO superiority and he did much to damage the psyche of most Igbo who will read his work and be inspired to believe him. This should provide explanation for the reason why some Igbo youths believe that they are the best in Nigeria, that they country the country's economy, that other tribes are dirty and that other people's lands should be categorizes as 'terra nullius' (no man's land).
Below are some of the "Igbo Supremacist" quotes from Achebe's book: 1. The Igbo “led the nation in virtually every sector – politics, education, commerce, and the arts." (Pg. 66)
Achebe suddenly forgot the facts that the Yoruba man Esan da Darocha (from Ilesha) was the first millionaire in Nigeria. The Yoruba business-woman Madam Efunroye Tinubu (1805-1887) was the first woman in Nigeria to buy a car. William Akinola Dawodu (A Yoruba) born in 1879 was the first importer (dealer) of motor car in Nigeria -he was the sole agent for firestone tyres, Dogde, Chevrolet, and Rio motors. He was also the principal promotor of numerous Ford vehicles in the country. The first Igbo man to buy a car was , Igwe Orizu I (Eze Ugbo Onya Mba) in 1912.
Kano: In 1851, this city, one of the largest in Africa, made 10 million sandal pairs and 5 million hides for export every year.
Alhassan Dantata, born in 1877, was a Northern Nigerian Kolanut trader and was described as perhaps the richest man in West Africa at the time of his death in 1955; In 1929, when the Bank of British West Africa, opened a branch in Kano, Dantata placed 20 Carmels loads of silver coins in it. That was money speaking.
But Achebe did not see all these as anything so long as the achievers are not Igbo; because only Igbo were leaders in commerce.
The Yorubas were already doctors and Lawyers almost 70 years before the Igbo, but to Achebe, the Igbo were the first in everything. Achebe forgot that Madam Efunroye was sending trading missions to several countries, including Europe before Amalgamation of Nigeria. The fact that the man who gave the Igbo their alphabet (Latinized script) was Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba, but according the Achebe, the Igbo led the nation in politics, education, commerce etc.
The NCNC credited to be Igbo party, was co-founded by Herbert Macaulay, a Yoruba who was the first President of that Party; before NCNC, The Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) Nigeria's first political party was formed in 1923 by Herbert Macaulay (a Yoruba) to take advantage of the new Clifford Constitution, the NNDP successfully organized various Lagos interest groups into a single group that was able to compete politically.
In fact a careful study of the list of the associations which made up the NCNC part showed that it was an amalgamation of several cultural associations, and labor movements formed in 1944; with very few Igbo associations represented but according to Achebe, it was the Igbo who led the nation in politics. See the List of the NCNC founding associations below to judge for yourself:
T.U.C. of Nigeria National Democratic Party Associated Press (Zikist) Demobilized Soldiers Union Calabar Improvement League Lagos Market Women Union Ebute Butchers Union (Lagos) Tailors Union of Nigeria Bamenda Improvement Association Nigerian Union of Students Yaba Estate Social Club Ahoada District Union Council of Ijebu National Societies Ekpoma Progress Union Ezi Wlefare League Igbotako Progressive Society Igbanke Union Ijebu Igbo Patriotic Society Ila Patriotic Union Ipetu Improvement Union Kwale Improvement Union West African Union of Seamen Nigeria Reconstruction Group Youths Literary Improvement Association of Master Tailors Commercial Biz League Farmers Committee of West Africa Akure Federal Union Council of Ijesha Societies Enugu Divisional Union Ishan Progress Union Ekpoma Progress Union Ezi Wlefare League Igbotako Progressive Society Igbanke Union Ijebu Igbo Patriotic Ila Patriotic Union Ipetu Improvement Union Kwale Improvement Union Seamen Nigeria Reconstruction Group Youths Literary Improvement Association of Master Tailors Commercial Biz League Farmers Committee of West Africa Akure Federal Union Council of Ijesha Societies Egbado Improvement Union Enugu Divisional Union Ekiti Parapo Society Mbaise Union Edo National Union
2. The Igbo were “the dominant tribe.” (pg. 233) Achebe forgot that the Yoruba had Telephone connection close to 70 years before the Igbo, and that Itu was connected before Enugu. The Hausa/Fulani built empires and cities centuries before the amalgamation of Nigeria, but to Achebe, the Igbo were the dominant tribe.
3. “This group, the Igbo, that gave the colonizing British so many headaches and then literarily drove them out of Nigeria was now an open target, scapegoats for the failings and grievances of colonial and post-independent Nigeria.” (pg. 67) According to Achebe, it is the Igbo alone who chased the British out of Nigeria. The works of Awolowo, Herbert Macaulay, Anthony Enahoro, Pa Michael Umoru, and others.
Obafemi Awolowo advocated federalism as the only basis for equitable national integration; as head of the Action Group, he (Awolowo) led demands for a federal constitution, which was introduced in the 1954 Lyttleton Constitution, following primarily the model proposed by the Western Region delegation led by him.
4. Achebe writes, has “an unquestioned advantage over his compatriots…Unlike the Hausa/Fulani he was unhindered by a wary religion, and unlike the Yoruba he was unhampered by traditional hierarchies…Although the Yoruba had a huge historical head start, the Igbo wiped out their handicap in one fantastic burst of energy in the twenty years between 1930 to1950.” (pg. 74)
Describing the religion of others as 'wary' is not palatable, and to trivialize the traditional culture of the Yoruba is an arrogant display of supremacy and tribalism.
5. “It is my impression that Chief Obafemi Awolowo was driven by an overriding ambition for power, for himself in particular and for his Yoruba people in general…However Awolowo saw the dominant Igbos at the time as the obstacle to that goal, and when the opportunity arose – the Nigeria – Biafra War – his ambition drove him into a frenzy to go to every length to achieve his dreams. In the Biafran case it meant hatching up a diabolical policy to reduce the number of his enemies significantly through starvation – eliminating over two million people, mainly members of future generation. (pg. 233)"
It is obvious from the above quote that Achebe has sown the seed of hatred against the Yoruba in the minds of the Igbo forever. Claiming Awolowo had overriding power for himself and his Yoruba people. He arrogantly claimed Awolowo saw the 'dominant' Igbo as a threat and obstacle that must be removed. This is a deliberate incitement against the Yoruba by an opinion leader and influencer like Achebe. This self-delusive claim of dominance above others is common in several narratives among both the Literates and Illiterates Igbo. This nonsense must stop, it is standing history on its head to claim the Igbo are the dominant ethnic group in Nigeria. Yet these are the people who will accuse all others of tribalism.
According to Achebe within 20 years, the Igbo became the leading tribe in Nigeria, he made this assertion without any statistics.
He made it look like other tribes stopped developing. When evidence contradicted his arrogant claim. The first TV station in Africa was created in the 1950s by Obafemi Awolowo with money from Cocoa; the first University in Nigeria (the University of Ibadan) was founded at Ibadan and not in Igbo land. Awolowo built the first stadium in Africa, the first high rise building in Nigeria, first industrial estate. I guess the Igbo within 20 years surpassed all these records and only the Igbo grew because other tribes went to sleep.
If an intellectual like Achebe could have this supremacist attitude, then one needs not be surprised when not-so educated Igbo claim that their tribe are the richest, the cleanest, the best in Nigeria. This attitude gives false sense of entitlement because people fed with these falsehood will grow up wondering why they are not the leaders in all aspects of the economy since they are the best.
We must make it a mission to correct this dangerous attitude, because it has led to several violent conflicts before not only in Nigeria but in Nazi Germany and in Rwanda. There is nothing like a superior tribe. We must also stop sweeping all dangerous comments and tribalist claims under the carpets for the sake of 'peace.' If not corrected, we are only postponing the evil days. The poster of the above crap simply dwells in hearsay and innuendos. You have done what Yoruba do best, thus, to claim everybody in Eko who had meaningful source of living as Yoruba. It has not yet down on the writer that anything claimed by Yoruba is completely tinted and instigates element of doubt since Yoruba had have the liberty to incorporate returnees into their society. No Igbo man claims anything but states factual facts which history tends to validate. I guess the poster cannot differentiate fact from fiction as in the case of alleged Dantata’s load of 20 Carmel of silver coins and Bank of British West Africa. What a ninny. 2 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by Scatterboss(m): 12:22am On Apr 17, 2015 |
[s] Duru1:
The poster of the above crap simply dwells in hearsay and innuendos. You have done what Yoruba do best, thus, to claim everybody in Eko who had meaningful source of living as Yoruba. It has not yet down on the writer that anything claimed by Yoruba is completely tinted and instigates element of doubt since Yoruba had have the liberty to incorporate returnees into their society. No Igbo man claims anything but states factual facts which history tends to validate. I guess the poster cannot differentiate fact from fiction as in the case of alleged Dantata’s load of 20 Carmel of silver coins and Bank of British West Africa.
[/s] Old Biafra Dede, when will you make sense sir? 4 Likes |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by Duru1(m): 12:36am On Apr 17, 2015 |
Scatterboss: [s][/s]
Old Biafra Dede, when will you make sense sir? I guess the moment your allergic symptom to common sense is cured. 2 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by Scatterboss(m): 12:40am On Apr 17, 2015 |
[s] Duru1:
I guess the moment your allergic symptom to common sense is cured. [/s] Old biafra Dede, that bullet in your head is affecting your cerebrum. Get well soon sir. 2 Likes |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by pazienza(m): 2:25am On Apr 17, 2015 |
Lol! Yorubas claiming Sierra Leone Lagosians and Brazilian Lagosians achievements. Nah today? 2 Likes |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by Nobody: 2:40am On Apr 17, 2015 |
Op you are one of the people that makes the igbo feel superior,leave them alone.stop talking...'if nobody talks abt you then you are nobody' 3 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by jascon1(m): 5:11am On Apr 17, 2015 |
(Jumping) one reason I hate jogging in the morning is cos my pireek swings left to right so now I'll try to do jumping alone in the morning 1 Like |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by kettykings: 5:26am On Apr 17, 2015 |
The Yoruba business-woman Madam Efunroye Tinubu (1805-1887) was the first woman in Nigeria to buy a car
These yorubas and their penchant for false statistics and figures. This woman bought a car before the first commercial car was sold in 1888.
Every figure quoted in this write up is falsified and not true. 2 Likes |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by Nobody: 5:32am On Apr 17, 2015 |
kettykings: The Yoruba business-woman Madam Efunroye Tinubu (1805-1887) was the first woman in Nigeria to buy a car
These yorubas and their penchant for false statistics and figures. This woman bought a car before the first commercial car was sold.
Every figure quoted in this write up is falsified and not true. Lol |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by Nobody: 5:33am On Apr 17, 2015 |
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Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by AgentOfAllah: 5:37am On Apr 17, 2015 |
Thank you op, this has been my feeling all along. |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by PapaUwa: 5:41am On Apr 17, 2015 |
@OP... What Achebe wrote are 100% true with facts to back it, and if u forgo bigotry u will see it too.
Many of u are scared of the achievements of the Igbos because it makes u look inferior. Get over it.
Lagos remains a No Man's Land....dats a fact. 2 Likes |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by kettykings: 5:44am On Apr 17, 2015 |
The Greeks and the Romans produced lawyers and attorneys and doctors 500 years before the Americans, how ever the best hospitals, Medicare lawyers and attorneys are in the United States. Even if yorubas produced doctors and nurses and Lawyers before igbos that doesn't not make yoruba lawyers better than igbo lawyers.
The first open heart surgery was performed in UNTH nsukka more than 40 years later the same feat was now done in UNTH ibadan 2 Likes |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by MightySparrow: 6:00am On Apr 17, 2015 |
So long a letter, anyway, are we equal before man? |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by zimoni(f): 9:18am On Apr 17, 2015 |
This is not about Lagos. |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by ArodeTsolaye: 10:10am On Apr 17, 2015 |
kettykings: The Yoruba business-woman Madam Efunroye Tinubu (1805-1887) was the first woman in Nigeria to buy a car
These yorubas and their penchant for false statistics and figures. This woman bought a car before the first commercial car was sold in 1888.
Every figure quoted in this write up is falsified and not true. I have always said it that yorubas are the biggest revisionist ever known to man. These guys can conjure lies that can shock the devil. 1 Like |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by walemoney007(m): 10:55am On Apr 17, 2015 |
pazienza: Lol! Yorubas claiming Sierra Leone Lagosians and Brazilian Lagosians achievements. Nah today? is ajayi crowther also a sierra leone or brazilian lagosian? |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by walemoney007(m): 10:58am On Apr 17, 2015 |
K |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by PapaUwa: 11:08am On Apr 17, 2015 |
walemoney007: a lagos is a no mans land,yet ur nze ndigbo couldn't challenge d oba of lagos wen he said. E will drown ur pple in d lagoon,instead of challengin him,dey were clappin and even told him every ibos will vote ambode.internet warrior Eze ndigbo was trying to downplay the incident. Nothing stopped him from responding in d same crude manner to ur oba. Bt he chose wisdom and civility. Thats d mark of a true leader. Ur oba has so much to learn from him. |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by Nobody: 11:13am On Apr 17, 2015 |
zimoni: Saw this on facebook and decided to share.
STOP TEACHING TRIBAL SUPERIORITY
For those wondering why most Igbo feel they are superior to other tribes in Nigeria and why I have been shouting myself hoax these days about the end to racial superiority, I will not stop because I will continue to provide facts to back up my claim. Any Hausa, Yoruba, Ijaw, Efik who claim tribal superiority should be roundly condemned too, all of us must identify this dangerous trend because if we don't, we shall only be postponing the evil days.
CHINUA ACHEBE did much in his work THERE WAS A COUNTRY to paint other tribes as envious of IGBO superiority and he did much to damage the psyche of most Igbo who will read his work and be inspired to believe him. This should provide explanation for the reason why some Igbo youths believe that they are the best in Nigeria, that they country the country's economy, that other tribes are dirty and that other people's lands should be categorizes as 'terra nullius' (no man's land).
Below are some of the "Igbo Supremacist" quotes from Achebe's book: 1. The Igbo “led the nation in virtually every sector – politics, education, commerce, and the arts." (Pg. 66)
Achebe suddenly forgot the facts that the Yoruba man Esan da Darocha (from Ilesha) was the first millionaire in Nigeria. The Yoruba business-woman Madam Efunroye Tinubu (1805-1887) was the first woman in Nigeria to buy a car. William Akinola Dawodu (A Yoruba) born in 1879 was the first importer (dealer) of motor car in Nigeria -he was the sole agent for firestone tyres, Dogde, Chevrolet, and Rio motors. He was also the principal promotor of numerous Ford vehicles in the country. The first Igbo man to buy a car was , Igwe Orizu I (Eze Ugbo Onya Mba) in 1912.
Kano: In 1851, this city, one of the largest in Africa, made 10 million sandal pairs and 5 million hides for export every year.
Alhassan Dantata, born in 1877, was a Northern Nigerian Kolanut trader and was described as perhaps the richest man in West Africa at the time of his death in 1955; In 1929, when the Bank of British West Africa, opened a branch in Kano, Dantata placed 20 Carmels loads of silver coins in it. That was money speaking.
But Achebe did not see all these as anything so long as the achievers are not Igbo; because only Igbo were leaders in commerce.
The Yorubas were already doctors and Lawyers almost 70 years before the Igbo, but to Achebe, the Igbo were the first in everything. Achebe forgot that Madam Efunroye was sending trading missions to several countries, including Europe before Amalgamation of Nigeria. The fact that the man who gave the Igbo their alphabet (Latinized script) was Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba, but according the Achebe, the Igbo led the nation in politics, education, commerce etc.
The NCNC credited to be Igbo party, was co-founded by Herbert Macaulay, a Yoruba who was the first President of that Party; before NCNC, The Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) Nigeria's first political party was formed in 1923 by Herbert Macaulay (a Yoruba) to take advantage of the new Clifford Constitution, the NNDP successfully organized various Lagos interest groups into a single group that was able to compete politically.
In fact a careful study of the list of the associations which made up the NCNC part showed that it was an amalgamation of several cultural associations, and labor movements formed in 1944; with very few Igbo associations represented but according to Achebe, it was the Igbo who led the nation in politics. See the List of the NCNC founding associations below to judge for yourself:
T.U.C. of Nigeria National Democratic Party Associated Press (Zikist) Demobilized Soldiers Union Calabar Improvement League Lagos Market Women Union Ebute Butchers Union (Lagos) Tailors Union of Nigeria Bamenda Improvement Association Nigerian Union of Students Yaba Estate Social Club Ahoada District Union Council of Ijebu National Societies Ekpoma Progress Union Ezi Wlefare League Igbotako Progressive Society Igbanke Union Ijebu Igbo Patriotic Society Ila Patriotic Union Ipetu Improvement Union Kwale Improvement Union West African Union of Seamen Nigeria Reconstruction Group Youths Literary Improvement Association of Master Tailors Commercial Biz League Farmers Committee of West Africa Akure Federal Union Council of Ijesha Societies Enugu Divisional Union Ishan Progress Union Ekpoma Progress Union Ezi Wlefare League Igbotako Progressive Society Igbanke Union Ijebu Igbo Patriotic Ila Patriotic Union Ipetu Improvement Union Kwale Improvement Union Seamen Nigeria Reconstruction Group Youths Literary Improvement Association of Master Tailors Commercial Biz League Farmers Committee of West Africa Akure Federal Union Council of Ijesha Societies Egbado Improvement Union Enugu Divisional Union Ekiti Parapo Society Mbaise Union Edo National Union
2. The Igbo were “the dominant tribe.” (pg. 233) Achebe forgot that the Yoruba had Telephone connection close to 70 years before the Igbo, and that Itu was connected before Enugu. The Hausa/Fulani built empires and cities centuries before the amalgamation of Nigeria, but to Achebe, the Igbo were the dominant tribe.
3. “This group, the Igbo, that gave the colonizing British so many headaches and then literarily drove them out of Nigeria was now an open target, scapegoats for the failings and grievances of colonial and post-independent Nigeria.” (pg. 67) According to Achebe, it is the Igbo alone who chased the British out of Nigeria. The works of Awolowo, Herbert Macaulay, Anthony Enahoro, Pa Michael Umoru, and others.
Obafemi Awolowo advocated federalism as the only basis for equitable national integration; as head of the Action Group, he (Awolowo) led demands for a federal constitution, which was introduced in the 1954 Lyttleton Constitution, following primarily the model proposed by the Western Region delegation led by him.
4. Achebe writes, has “an unquestioned advantage over his compatriots…Unlike the Hausa/Fulani he was unhindered by a wary religion, and unlike the Yoruba he was unhampered by traditional hierarchies…Although the Yoruba had a huge historical head start, the Igbo wiped out their handicap in one fantastic burst of energy in the twenty years between 1930 to1950.” (pg. 74)
Describing the religion of others as 'wary' is not palatable, and to trivialize the traditional culture of the Yoruba is an arrogant display of supremacy and tribalism.
5. “It is my impression that Chief Obafemi Awolowo was driven by an overriding ambition for power, for himself in particular and for his Yoruba people in general…However Awolowo saw the dominant Igbos at the time as the obstacle to that goal, and when the opportunity arose – the Nigeria – Biafra War – his ambition drove him into a frenzy to go to every length to achieve his dreams. In the Biafran case it meant hatching up a diabolical policy to reduce the number of his enemies significantly through starvation – eliminating over two million people, mainly members of future generation. (pg. 233)"
It is obvious from the above quote that Achebe has sown the seed of hatred against the Yoruba in the minds of the Igbo forever. Claiming Awolowo had overriding power for himself and his Yoruba people. He arrogantly claimed Awolowo saw the 'dominant' Igbo as a threat and obstacle that must be removed. This is a deliberate incitement against the Yoruba by an opinion leader and influencer like Achebe. This self-delusive claim of dominance above others is common in several narratives among both the Literates and Illiterates Igbo. This nonsense must stop, it is standing history on its head to claim the Igbo are the dominant ethnic group in Nigeria. Yet these are the people who will accuse all others of tribalism.
According to Achebe within 20 years, the Igbo became the leading tribe in Nigeria, he made this assertion without any statistics.
He made it look like other tribes stopped developing. When evidence contradicted his arrogant claim. The first TV station in Africa was created in the 1950s by Obafemi Awolowo with money from Cocoa; the first University in Nigeria (the University of Ibadan) was founded at Ibadan and not in Igbo land. Awolowo built the first stadium in Africa, the first high rise building in Nigeria, first industrial estate. I guess the Igbo within 20 years surpassed all these records and only the Igbo grew because other tribes went to sleep.
If an intellectual like Achebe could have this supremacist attitude, then one needs not be surprised when not-so educated Igbo claim that their tribe are the richest, the cleanest, the best in Nigeria. This attitude gives false sense of entitlement because people fed with these falsehood will grow up wondering why they are not the leaders in all aspects of the economy since they are the best.
We must make it a mission to correct this dangerous attitude, because it has led to several violent conflicts before not only in Nigeria but in Nazi Germany and in Rwanda. There is nothing like a superior tribe. We must also stop sweeping all dangerous comments and tribalist claims under the carpets for the sake of 'peace.' If not corrected, we are only postponing the evil days. trash as usual from the axis / tribe of crying and genuflecting army General . ![grin](https://www.nairaland.com/faces/grin.png) ask sanni abacha |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by walemoney007(m): 11:19am On Apr 17, 2015 |
K |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by pazienza(m): 11:32am On Apr 17, 2015 |
walemoney007: is ajayi crowther also a sierra leone or brazilian lagosian? A Sierra Leone Lagosian. He merely adopted Yoruba. This is an old topic nah, where were you during the Nairaland myth bursting era? *grins* |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by walemoney007(m): 11:35am On Apr 17, 2015 |
pazienza:
A Sierra Leone Lagosian. He merely adopted Yoruba. This is an old topic nah, where were you during the Nairaland myth bursting era? *grins* u b mumu,google is ur friend sha.u dey call a oyo man sierra leone lagosian ![grin](https://www.nairaland.com/faces/grin.png) |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by pazienza(m): 11:38am On Apr 17, 2015 |
walemoney007: u b mumu,google is ur friend sha.u dey call a oyo man sierra leone lagosian![grin](https://www.nairaland.com/faces/grin.png) Which Google? Haha! Nekwanu okpo ngaji a! *grins* |
Re: Stop Teaching Tribal Superiority, We Are All Equal Before God. by walemoney007(m): 11:47am On Apr 17, 2015 |
pazienza:
Which Google? Haha! Nekwanu okpo ngaji a! *grins* if u lik mak u speak chinese,ko kan aye. |