Abstract
Tribalism is coined from ‘tribes’, an alternative word for ethnic or linguistic groups or in some countries ‘nation’ or ‘nationality’. Tribes supply a lot of Nigeria’s diversity providing traditional costumes, dress, music, dancing, indigenous language, arts, folklore, religion, all of which can constitute an asset to a people. It is naturally regarded as a small group, a human social organization defined by ‘traditions of common descent’ having temporary or permanent political integration above the family level with a shared language, culture or ideology. Encyclopedia Britannica asserts that tribe members ‘share a tribe name in a contiguous territory, and engage in joint endeavours such as trade, agriculture, house construction, warfare, economic and business activities and warfare. They often stay in small cluster-communities which can grow into large communities and even a nation. This paper attempts to critically examine the multiple play-outs of Nigeria’s many tribes and nationalities during and after colonialism, the intricate connection between tribalism and politics, leadership and the evolution of the Nigerian polity, the grievous harm as well as advantages of tribalism to Nigeria’s evolution. The tribe is always a major factor in the country and in its people. It ends with specific prognosis and a few recommendations.
Highlights
Tribe is often shrouded in negative coloration relevant to societies regarded as underdeveloped, primitive or inferior
Despite the odium of tribalism and ethnicity, it was a common feature of many African countries; “In Rwanda and Burundi, the Hutus and Tutsis struggled for supremacy, in Ghana, the Ewes demanded a reunion with their Kith and Kin in Togo, in Uganda, the subjugation of the Buganda by Obote, in favour of his own group unleashed a complex of hostilities; in the Congo and Nigeria, Kantagese and Ibo attempts at secession led to civil war....”
The most important of these persons and organizations are the political parties and the functionaries of the tribes, starting with the largest and most populous part of the country, a claim that has been constantly contested. It was upon the rock of tribalism that the first Republic foundered, tribalism will remain in Nigeria ‘a potent centrifugal force and a veritable challenge to statesmanship (Ayandele, 1970)
Summary
Tribe is often shrouded in negative coloration relevant to societies regarded as underdeveloped, primitive or inferior. Despite the odium of tribalism and ethnicity, it was a common feature of many African countries; “In Rwanda and Burundi, the Hutus and Tutsis struggled for supremacy, in Ghana, the Ewes demanded a reunion with their Kith and Kin in Togo, in Uganda, the subjugation of the Buganda by Obote, in favour of his own group unleashed a complex of hostilities; in the Congo and Nigeria, Kantagese and Ibo attempts at secession led to civil war....” These are apart from forced and violent tribe-driven conflicts in ‘Liberia, Somalia, Sudan, Algeria, Angola, Congo, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Zaire and Mozambique’4(Caron, Gboyega & Osaghae eds; 1992; p223). He cited a Nigerian scholar who named Nigeria as one of the ‘most and fastest declining states of the world’ (Obiozor George; Oct 8, 2015)
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