I received more reactions in response to the above article than I can reproduce in weeks. I am sharing only a sample. Enjoy! In my opin...
I received more reactions in response to
the above article than I can reproduce in weeks. I am sharing only a sample.
Enjoy!
In
my opinion, prejudice is sustained in Nigeria because it is constantly being
taught. Newer generations of Nigerians learn prejudice from the older ones at
every stage of their lives. Unless the active teaching of prejudice is
interrupted, it will continue to flourish. The most important medium for
teaching prejudice to southerners is the private print media while in the north
it is religious preaching. Young southerners are raised on a steady diet of
prejudice against northerners written in newspapers and magazines from Tell to Newswatch to Punch, to Tribune to Guardian, etc. When a young southerner constantly reads disparaging
things about the north written by 'respected' columnists, he cannot grow up to
be anything other than a prejudiced Nigerian.
In
the north, religious preaching is the medium for passing prejudice to younger
generations. Some preachers constantly portray the non-Muslim as an eternal,
implacable enemy that is worthless as a person and not suitable for any form of
association with a Muslim. Ongoing global conflicts like the Palestinian
conflict etc. are cited as evidence to support this premise. A young northerner
who grew up on a diet of this will celebrate when a non-Muslim governor dies.
Some countries have realised this very early and have taken steps to control
the teaching of prejudice, but in Nigeria it has always been fashionable to do
so. Human beings need to be controlled, unfortunately, even in what they say in
order to have a sane society. We must ,as a country and in view of our
situation, legislate against any open defamatory remarks against any GROUP of
Nigerians. It should be made illegal for any Nigerian to say or write
defamatory things against any ethnic, religious or other demographic group in
Nigeria. This should not include saying verifiable facts like "early
marriage for girls is commoner in the north" or "the rate of armed
robbery is highest in Lagos" but any subjective and negative opinions
about any group of Nigerians must be disallowed and penalised. This is the only
way forward.
Dr. Raji Bello, Abuja
I
once lived in the same compound with a colleague in Abuja when we were newly
employed in my place of work. The lady, who was from one of the South-South
states, said she never knew there were Hausa/Muslims who were educated up to
the university level. She said she thought all Hausa/Muslims were illiterates!
There
was a story they were often told as teenagers that any girl that befriended a
Hausa man stood the risk of having a snake enter her body! They believed that
Hausa people became snakes and entered their girlfriends' bodies! They grew up
to believe those stories until she came to Abuja and found out otherwise. But
the damage already done to those young minds is unquantifiable! Till today,
that lady, with whom we became very good friends, try as she might, finds it
very difficult to regard Hausa/Muslims as equals to her Southern/Christian
brethren.
Ahmed Abdulkadir , Sokoto
When
I was doing my youth service in Akwa Ibom State, a colleague of mine from the
South once asked me if I and another lady from Katsina were really from the
North. The reason for his question? He thought nobody from the North could
possibly speak English as well as the two of us could. When I told him we were
indeed from the North, he wanted to know if we also went to school there. I
told him I had never attended any school outside of Jigawa and Kano states.
Some of these stereotypes are just silly, to say the least.
Aminu Aliyu Abdulmalik, Birnin-Kudi,
Jigawa
I
have been in a situation where I attended a meeting and the first comment the
chair of the meeting asked upon seeing me was "can she read and
write?" probably on account of my dressing/veil. And the first time I reported to the HOD of
my department, I was asked: "what did you read that you were employed on
Gl 10? I replied that I had a M.A. and the lady replied: "You M.A.!? What
university?” I said “UDUS” and she said, "no wonder". In addition,
the chair of the meeting who asked if I could read and write still had to test
my ability by asking me to spell “psychiatrist.”
Salamat Farouq, Abuja
Your
article no doubt deserves comments from all concerned. It is certainly a
reminder to the fact that a lot needs to be done by those in authority and
indeed all Nigerians to keep the Nigerian Flag flying. You will agree with me
that this cannot be achieved when the views and achievements of one section of
this country is held in contempt by another. It can only be achieved if we
sincerely acknowledge the fact that no nation, person or group of persons shall
prosper as an island. The Holy Qur'an has provided us with the answer to this
contentious issue in (Qur'an 49:13): ''O Mankind! Lo! We have created you male
and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another.
Lo! The noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the best in conduct. Lo! Alllah
is knower, Aware''. Our ethnic
differences should therefore strengthen us and not divide us as a nation.
Tijjani Abubakar (08029096035)
Very
well-put. Thoughtful and cogent. May your words of wisdom be implanted in the
minds of our compatriots. Thanks. Happy New Year.
Professor Folu Ogundimu, Michigan State
University, USA
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