I just read an article by Chimamanda Adichie; it’s titled “To
be Igbo in Nigeria is constantly to be a Suspect”. The article attempts to
explain the reaction of Igbo people to Oba Akiolu’s tirade and why we should not
wave the anger and the fear it has generated away. I understand what she’s trying
to say and I think the bottom line is that we should take discrimination
seriously because it affects us all one way or the other.
I have read lots of articles about the fiasco and I have seen
that irresponsible comments made by people in authority truly bring out the
worst in us. The Oba abused his office by making those comments; people in
positions of trust should never use their positions to coerce their followers
into a certain course of action. I have read some cringe-worthy articles by both
Igbo and Yoruba writers and I have marveled at the level of seething resentment
that exists in Nigeria. Worst of all, the politicians have hijacked the
discussion and turned it into a ‘vote for me because I love you more’ campaign
and to our discredit as a people, this sort of campaign is being taken
seriously!
I know about discrimination by reason of being a single woman,
living alone, with an unusual name that does not quickly lend itself to tribal
affiliations. I have recently felt the weight of discrimination as a house
hunter and it’s not just about “Mo o gbe ile mi fun Ibo o” (I won’t let my
house to an Ibo person o); it’s also been about ‘We don’t rent to single
ladies’ or more delicately “You have to come with your husband to view” and “How
do you intend to pay” (as there is no man around). In the course of my search,
I have had people ask me questions like “why aren’t you married at your age?” Someone
even asked “are you a party girl” (whatever that means). I have had viewing
appointments cancelled over the phone because the prospective landlord wants
only “Yoruba Muslim” tenants. A prospective landlady asked me thrice in one
conversation where my husband is and when he would be joining me and I told her
thrice also, in the most even tone I could muster, that I am not married. Most
of these encounters were with Yoruba people though the one about marriage and
age is a free for all point of discrimination. Does this mean that I see the
Yoruba race as my arch enemy? No, my mother is Yoruba for one, but that aside,
I know that the fears expressed about me (I believe fear is the root cause of
prejudice) are illogical. They are illogical because being Ibo doesn’t
automatically translate to being a bad tenant; being a single woman doesn’t mean
that I’m financially impotent or a raging ‘party girl’! Being single or married doesn’t make you a
better or worse citizen of Nigeria. I also know that reciprocal prejudice is a
vicious cycle. I know that most prejudiced people don’t know any better and are
simply products of unsavory experiences and negative socialization.
I also know that some people will always find something to be
bigoted about. I recently discovered that being from Delta State and being Ibo are
mutually exclusive occurrences because
somebody who considers himself the true judge of ‘Iboness’ says Delta people
cannot be Ibo. So where does it end? It
ends with each individual; I have also been guilty of bigoted thinking at
different times but this whole ‘Drowning in the Lagoon’ saga has made me think
more clearly about the effects of discrimination and I have decided to go with
logic instead.
Discrimination of any sort is damaging to people’s psyche
because it is simply a form of rejection. It is terrible to be rejected because
of circumstances that you cannot change, circumstances of birth and ethnicity,
circumstances of marital status, age etc. However, the Oba’s comments will not
affect my judgment and I think that if we are to grow as a people, logical
thought has to take precedence in our daily affairs. The decision about who to
vote for must not be made in a reactionary manner. Vote for whomever will work
in your best interests, vote for the candidate you perceive as qualified for
the job. Don’t let anyone tell you that you owe it to your ethnic group to vote
for a particular candidate. Lagos State is not a group of clans, it is a
metropolis. Your vote, today and in the future should be about making our
metropolis work, it should be about making it a decent place to work and live in, and not about spite or reciprocal prejudice.
