ARE WE NOW WILLING PRISONERS OF TRIBALPHOBIA? Must we keep turning every cultural slip into an excuse for another tribal fight? (By Dr. Ope Banwo, Founder, Naija Lives Matter and Mayor of Fadeyi)

The Short-Fused Trigger

Every few months in Nigeria, it seemed like we tend to find a fresh excuse to fight each other along tribal lines, rather on lines of constructive debate about our many real problems in Nigeria. This week, the spark came from Peter Obi’s choice of words while addressing the Olubadan of Ibadan.

Instead of celebrating the courtesy of calling a revered monarch “My Elder Brother,” many voices have twisted it into disrespect and dragged the man into yet another tribal storm.

But the real question is not whether Peter Obi used the “correct” title. The real question is: are we now willing prisoners of tribalphobia?

Let’s Be Honest

Most of those now shouting about “His Imperial Majesty” versus “My Elder Brother” don’t even know the difference between “His Royal Highness” and “His Imperial Majesty.” Yet suddenly, it has become a matter of national outrage.

Let us remind ourselves of a few truths:

• Peter Obi is not Yoruba and should not be expected to master Yoruba royal protocols.
• In Igbo culture, there is no prostration or “Imperial Majesty.” Calling someone “my elder brother” is a deep mark of honor.
• Respect is about intention, not grammar. A man can call you “brother” with love and reverence, while another can call you “His Majesty” with mockery in his tone. Which one truly honors the throne?

The Hypocrisy of The Tribal Irredentists Among Us

Where was this outrage when someone close to Governor Sanwo-Olu tweeted that “the Ibadans have taken a monkey to the market” to describe Rhodes-Vivour’s visit to the same Olubadan? That was an open insult, not only to an individual but to Ibadan as a whole.

Yet many of the same people crying today about Obi’s “error” said nothing then. Why? Because it did not fit their tribal or political agenda.

This present manufactured outrage by divisive forces like Reno Omokri is not really about tradition. This is not about love for Yoruba culture either. This is about tribalphobia — an irrational suspicion of the “other,” weaponized to divide us.

The Need to Look at the Bigger Picture

We must ask ourselves: how long will we keep grabbing excuses to fight over tribe while our country collapses around us?

• Nigeria is drowning in poverty, unemployment, insecurity, and corruption.
• Our leaders especially at the state levels are looting without shame or accountability
• Our youths are fleeing the country in droves in heartbreaking despair.

Yet we seem to spend a lot of our energy fighting over titles and semantics. If an Igbo man calls a Yoruba king “my elder brother,” that is not an insult. That is a bridge. And bridges are meant to be crossed, not burned.

My Heartfelt Cry For Tribal Harmony

I know some of my fellow brothers will drag me against for not joining them to pile on an Igbo man but we cannot build a great nation if we keep living as willing prisoners of tribalphobia. It is time we strive to break free.

• Let us judge people by their actions, not their tribe.
• Let us honor our kings with loyalty and respect, not empty outrage.
• Let us stop making mountains out of molehills while our leaders plunder the nation.

Nigeria will not rise by dragging each other down. We must choose unity over suspicion, bridges over walls, and nationhood over tribal score-settling.

👉 Dr. Ope Banwo

Lawyer • Fearless Activist • Mayor of Fadeyi