NIGERIAN PEOPLE AND CULTURE: Welcome to Nigeria.
Nigeria is a country where Nigerians live, while naija is where more than 250 ethnic groups strive to form a collective. There are few countries that can be identified by a universally accepted nickname like 9ja, this is possible due to the existence of a sub-society within the country known as Nigeria.
Nigeria was created in 1914 through the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates to form a British administered colony, this makes everyone irrespective of your tribe a Nigerian.
But what does it mean to be a Nigerian? this concept is strange to most indigenes as they have never experienced the joy or pride of a country that puts their interest first.
On the other hand, most Nigerians see themselves as part of the 6 geopolitical zones of the country. This phenomenon was started when Nigeria was divided into three by the colonial administration of McPherson and sadly people born before 1985 identify primarily from one of this region.
This has continued to fragment the society and now into six regions no longer three and this regions have peculiar tribes which dominate the way of life and other characterise that make each region unique. The people known as naija (9ja) are from a combination of the 6 regions.
The uniqueness of these individual ethnic groups is another topic on its own but what cannot be overemphasized is the fact that the existence of this sub-society or country cannot
Minority tribes had little or no claim to rule as they were not even considered as challengers in the political spheres. This view was changed through the rise to presidency by president Goodluck Jonathan who ruled from 2010-2015 making it the only time someone from a minority tribe has ruled the country.
It is in our own opinion that rulership of a country should not be based on tribe but on the ability to deliver individually and collectively to the goal of the Nigerian state. Each tribe or region is very important and non should be so suppressed in the scheme of things