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Ojukwu’s Philosophy Of Detribalism: The Panacea To The Nigerian Political Problems
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1.3.6 Tribalism Leads To Disintegration
In a
tribalism-infested society, there is always uneven distribution of the
available resources, denial of equal opportunities, double standard,
the born-to-rule mentality, and neglect of persons from other tribes. In
such a scenario, some people tend to be marginalized. As expected, they
will seek to defend themselves. And one way of defending themselves is
to assert their autonomy and work towards secession. In this way, the
things that hold the country together will start to fall apart. This is
exactly what is happening in Nigeria.
1.4 The Positive Aspect of Tribalism
Tribalism
is a word every individual who believes in Nigeria as a united country
abhores. It would be very difficult for any Nigerian to envisage
something good in it. The general understanding of this word has been
and still remains in the negative.
On the contrary, the term
tribalism is not entirely bad, if anything, it is the way people use it
that is bad. “Tribe is very natural and normal; no one is without a
tribe.â€[24] According to Azikiwe, the fact of tribe is not specific to
Africa alone, it is a universal fact. However, irrespective of tribal
differences, the common identity in the association with one another as a
nation should uphold and endure.
Discussing tribalism as a pragmatic
instrument for national unity, Azikiwe maintained that tribe has a
positive meaning, the positive meaning of community. This means that
tribalism could then become a pragmatic instrument for national unity
not disunity. Thus Azikiwe said:
if the concept and practice of
tribalism would be a mode of adaptation to reality, then tribalism is an
instrument for national unity.[25]
Still for Azikiwe, tribe is an
anthropological fact. A tribe is made up of race, language and culture,
and these, as it were, are the major anthropological factors that
determine the level of integrability and assimilability among the
tribes. Countries such as Switzerland, United States of America, U.S.S.R
are examples of countries that are made up of less integrated tribes.
Yet, they maintain their identities as single nations. This goes to show
that over two hundred and fifty tribes that make up Nigeria are not
disasters but great assets.
In this line of thinking, Achebe notes also that
everyone
agrees that there are manifestations of tribal culture, which we cannot
condemn such as peculiar habits of dress, food, language, and
music[26].
These and many other manifestations are positive and
desirable and confer richness on our national culture. They add to the
beauty richly embedded in African culture.
Tribalism has some
positive benefits, and for Nigeria to achieve the desired positive
aspect in tribalism, Azikiwe was of the view that loyalty to tribe must
be transferred to loyalty to Nigeria as a nation. This will be well
achieved when, according to him, “permanent guarantees of a
constitutional, political, and economic nature are metâ€[27].
Our
differences are therefore assets rather than tools for destruction. The
practice of tribalism, I will maintain, is a defective attitude of the
mind that eventually manifests itself in the utterances and actions of
men.
[1] E. Ojukwu, Op. Cit. p. xiv.
[2] Cited by J. Uwalaka., The
Struggle For An Inclusive Nigeria: Igbos, To Be Or Not To Be? (Enugu:
Snaap Press Ltd., 2003) p.11.
[3] Ibid., p.50.
[4] cited by A.Waugh and S. Cronje, Biafra: Britain’s Shame (London: Michael Joseph Ltd. 1969) p.22.
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