ONE COUNTRY, MANY NATIONS

The Real Problems Between Hausas, Yorubas, and Igbos… and How To Fix It

By Dr. Ope Banwo – The Mayor of Fadeyi

⚠️ NIGERIA: THE COUNTRY WE PRETEND IS A NATION

Let’s stop deceiving ourselves.

Nigeria is not a nation. It never was.
It is a country made up of nations — Hausa Nation, Yoruba Nation, Igbo Nation, and a cocktail of other powerful ethnic identities.

We may sing the same anthem and carry the same passport, but we dream different dreams, pledge different loyalties, and bleed different colors.

And nothing has exposed this tribal fracture more than the 2023 elections — especially the moment when the Kingmaker of Lagos shockingly lost his home state to a man Igbos loudly supported.

The tribal mask dropped. And what we saw underneath was ugly.

🧨 LAGOS 2023: WHEN A PRESIDENTIAL LOSS BECAME AN ETHNIC MELTDOWN

Let’s be real.
When Bola Ahmed Tinubu lost Lagos in 2023, it wasn’t just a political shock — it became a cultural earthquake.

Overnight, Igbos were labeled invaders, enemies, and saboteurs.
Hate-filled tweets. Tribal slurs. Voter suppression. Street renamings. Online warfare.
All because they voted their conscience.

But here’s the kicker:

Igbophobia didn’t start in 2023. It just uncloaked itself in high definition.

Yet to be fair, let’s also admit:

Igbophobia isn’t a one-way street.
We have Yorubaphobia and Hausaphobia too.
Everybody’s pointing fingers. And everybody’s guilty.

⚖️ COUNTRY INFESTED WITH TRIBAL PHOBIAS: A THREE-WAY STREET OF MISTRUST

🟥 IGBOPHOBIA

• They’re “too rich,” “too loud,” “too bold.”

• Fear of takeover.

• Fear of their refusal to bow.

🟨 YORUBAPHOBIA

• Called cunning, two-faced, political backstabbers.

• Northerners call them unreliable.

• Igbos call them sellouts.

🟩 HAUSAPHOBIA

• Seen as power-hungry, feudal, and violent.

• Accused of Islamizing Nigeria.

• Viewed as culturally rigid and hegemonic.

Let’s just say it plainly: All our tribes carry poisoned perceptions of each other.

 

💉 WHY MULTI-DIMENSIONAL TRIBAL HATRED SO DEEP IN NIGERIA?

It’s in our childhood jokes.
Our parents’ retelling of the ‘wickedness’ of other tribes.
Our political campaigns.
Even our religious pulpits.

You don’t have to live in Nigeria to inherit the tribal venom.
Even children born in Canada or London have somehow picked up the hate.

How?
Because tribalism in Nigeria is not taught — it’s transferred.

Through whispered side-comments.
Through WhatsApp forwards.
Through tribal-first parenting.
We pass on this poison like heirlooms.

🧬 YES, THE TRUTH IS BEING ‘TRIBE-FIRST’ ISN’T A CRIME, AND SHOULD NOT BE A CRIME — IT’S A TRUTH

Now listen closely.

Being tribal-first is not evil. It’s natural.
It’s human to identify with people who share your language, culture, and ancestral memory.

The problem isn’t our tribal pride.

The problem is our national lie.

We pretend we’re one united nation while secretly living, voting, hiring, marrying, and killing by tribal lines.

Instead of fighting tribal identity, let’s do the honest thing:

Structure Nigeria around it.

 

🛠️ 5 REALISTIC WAYS FORWARD TO DELIVER OUR COUNTRY FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF TRIBAL PHOBIA

1. ✅ Admit What We Really Are: A Country of Nations

Stop this performance of fake unity.
The first step to peace is honesty.
Let’s rewrite the constitution to reflect Nigeria as a Union of Ethnic Nations, not just a jumble of “states.”

2. ✅ Restructure the Federation by Region, Not LGAs

Bring back the old regions. Give each one control over its resources, security, laws, and education.
Let Igboland chart its course. Let Yorubaland dream in its own dialect. Let the North structure their society by their values.

True federalism or nothing.

3. ✅ Let Each Region Play to Its Strengths

Yoruba Nation = Tech & entertainment.
Igbo Nation = Manufacturing & innovation.
Hausa-Fulani = Agriculture & livestock.
Middle Belt = Mining & food security.

Unity isn’t everyone doing the same thing. It’s everyone doing their best thing.

4. ✅ Tribal Identity Education Reform

Let our kids learn their history — honestly and respectfully.
Don’t teach them to hate others. Teach them to understand others.
Build pride without creating prejudice.

5. ✅ Form a Tribal Council of Nigeria (TCN)

Let real elders, youth leaders, and cultural voices sit in a rotating council.
Not corrupt senators.
Not recycled governors.
But respected nation-builders from every tribe.

Let them debate. Let them mediate. Let them guide.

🗣️ FINAL WORD FROM THE MAYOR OF FADEYI

Maybe Nigeria will never become a single nation.
Maybe we were never meant to.

But we can still be a successful country of many nations
— if we embrace who we are instead of pretending to be what we’re not.

Let every tribe play its part. Let every region shine on its own terms.
Let us restructure not for power, but for peace.

Because at this rate…

If we don’t fix our tribal mess, our tribal mess will finish us.

✍🏽 By Dr. Ope Banwo
The Mayor of Fadeyi – Truth-Teller. Nation-Builder. Tribal Without Being Tribalistic