Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Wariboko's Essay on Majority-tribe Privilege in Nigeria

Although Section 55 of the 1999 Constitution recognises English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba as languages in which the official business of the National Assembly can be conducted, it is only in English language that the entire Nigeria is governed. Remember that English is a colonial language imposed on Nigerians as official language but the means of studying and understanding the language is restricted to minority Nigerians. The colonialists did not want every Nigerian to communicate fluently in English, therefore they only educated few Nigerians, the children of Emirs and Chiefs, whose subsequent jobs were to act as intermediaries between the colonialists and the masses. The language of governance at the Federal, State and local government level is neither Hausa/Fulani, Igbo nor Yoruba but English. Whereas not less than 15 states in the North, 5 states in Southwest, and five states in the Southeast can conveniently govern in Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo language respectively, the leaders of government in those states have refused to do so because they will be exposed of their state thefts. In our indigenous languages, there are no correspondent words for millions, billions or trillions numerically. That is why the minority educated class in Nigeria insists on governing with English language. Thus, Professor Wariboko is wrong to claim that Nigeria is governed by Wa-So-Bia.

S. Kadiri

On Monday, November 7, 2022 at 11:31:11 PM UTC+1 mafo...@yahoo.com wrote:

Nimi: Your words are divine! Thanks for doing this. You spoke the truth without hurting anyone; your language of dissent seems polite and quite soothing. I am surprised, though, that you said the majority privilege in Nigeria does not equate with the white privilege in the US. I think we are at variance on that position because I believe it does, in a way; at least, it's the closest descriptor of the situation. As a matter of fact, as I was reading your essay, the phrase rushing at me was "White privilege, White privilege, White privilege."

Honestly, and even as your essay aply demonstrates, I believe the three majority ethnic groups tend to enjoy the aura of being perceived as representative of the idea of Nigerianess. Hausa-Igbo-Yoruba is almost a synecdoche for a complete Nigeria, at the exclusion of all "others." I believe this provides an unfair advantage. It is for the same reason that even our language policy designates what we call major languages, minor languages and other languages. I hope there comes a time when one of the so-called minor or "other" languages becomes the official language of Nigeria, the way Swahili became the official language in Kenya and Tanzania, where it was originally a language of an ethnic minority. Maybe, and only maybe, if that happens, there will be a degree of respect for other ethnicities outside the confines of the Hausa-Igbo-Yoruba confraternity. The only good part of it all is that the three ethnic majority jn Nigeria are too self-absorbed they can't work together, a choice of one over the others would break loose warfare from the pit of hell and so a minority language or minority president over the affairs of the nation may help the the world to know that there are peoples outside the three!

At any rate, thanks for raising this issue.

MOA

On Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 09:03:47 AM CDT, Nimi Wariboko <nimi...@msn.com> wrote:

Dear Colleagues:

This is an article I published in Punch Newspapers Nigeria yesterday, Friday, November 4, 2022. It is about majority-tribe privilege in Nigeria.

 

Wazobia Republic: The majority-tribe privilege in Nigeria 

Majority-tribe privilege is the advantage the Hausa-Fulani, Igbo, and Yoruba enjoy as members of the three big ethnic groups in the country. The mighty advantage of belonging to one of the Big Three, the Wa-Zo-Bia groups, is both unconscious and conscious. For those who enjoy being part of the big tribes, the advantage is unseen to (majority of) them, but it is highly visible to the rest of us that belong to the minority tribes. When national public officials and the media list ethnicities in Nigeria and routinely name Hausa-Fulani, Igbo, and Yoruba, without bothering to mention even one minority tribe, you are reminded that Nigeria is wazobia and the country does not regard your existence. Minority-tribe persons grate under their skin when they hear Wazobia, a portfolio word that reminds them of their exclusion, marginalisation, and irrelevance in the general description of what Nigerian citizenship means. With the way the 2023 elections have become a three-tribe affair, you would be forgiven for thinking they are the only ones in the country.

 

For more, please click the link below:

 

https://punchng.com/wazobia-republic-the-majority-tribe-privilege-in-nigeria/

 

 

Nimi Wariboko

Boston University

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