By Msonter Anzaa
The Ibos of Nigeria are a peculiar people. Their presence transcends every nook and cranny of this country. Everywhere – including remote villages where it would seem no one speaks English – the Ibos are present. They are often so integrated into their host society that they speak the indigenous languages fluently. Given their wide reach, every crisis anywhere in the country affects them more severely than other ethnic groups. Following the increasing insecurity across Northern Nigeria caused by the Boko Haram insurgence, there have been calls from various quarters for the Ibos to leave the North. But is this the solution, and even if it is, how feasible is it?
To begin with, individuals who make this call share a sentiment that the Ibos are primary targets of this violence. There is some truth in it, but it is not what it seems. In fact, Ibos are always the worst victims of conflict not because they are Ibos, but because of the nature of their profession. Majority of Ibos are traders and businessmen who own vast business enterprises across Nigeria. Wherever there is conflict, they risk losing these investments. Very often, hoodlums have seized the opportunity presented by conflict to loot the shops and carter away property worth millions of money. We would have to understand however, that the primary reason for looting these items is not that they belong to Ibos. The criminals were going to loot whatever shops they found anyway. In other words, those items would still be looted even if they belonged to individuals of any other tribe. Also, given his profession, the Ibo man is the least willing individual to leave a crisis zone. This is because most of the investments made are not portable establishments. His nature of profession also requires stability.
Again, in a place like Northern Nigeria today, most of the non-indigenes are students, civil servants or businessmen. And the Ibos constitute the lot of these too. Since they are mostly Christians, they also tend to be the major owners and worshippers at churches across Northern Nigeria. This explains why there might be some truth in the claim that Ibos have been worst hit by the bombings that have happened and continue to occur across the North. However, to create the impression that they are deliberately singled out for attack is to allude to some sort of xenophobia which at this moment does not appear to be real. Now let us look at it. Ordinarily, why would anybody in the North want to hurt the Ibos? Will it be out of envy for their success which is clearly a product of hard work?
It is obvious that wherever the Ibos have lived, they have taken on roles which are central to the development of such communities. Talk about private schools. Ibos constitute the majority of school proprietors. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to state that the extent of penetration of a community by the Ibos can be taken to be a growth-measuring factor. They are responsible for the development of otherwise rural areas into semi-urban centers. They help bring close to the people elementary services that were not accessible before.
Now, is it advisable for the Ibos to leave Northern Nigeria? I think the answer is negative for two reasons. One, the stay of the Ibos in Northern Nigeria is also to their advantage. With little competition from the natives, Ibos have created and expanded new markets for their trades and have reaped good profits in return. Two, their presence in Northern Nigeria is also an advantage to the people of the region. If you do a survey of the shops in major markets across the North, it would reveal that they are majorly owned by the Ibos. They travel the length and breadth of the country and even beyond, acquiring products of different kinds for their customers. Are the natives in any way, capable of filling the vacuum that would result if the Ibos were to pull out? Of course, the resulting non-availability of the products will send prices sky-rocketing and make the ordinary man much more uncomfortable.
The solution to the problems facing the Ibos and indeed all Nigerians resident in the North is not easy. It however lies in a general improvement in the security situation in the country. The many approaches adopted so far have achieved varying degrees of success. Regarding their vulnerability during conflict, the Ibos should continue to expand their relationships with their host communities and traditional authorities to minimize mistrust and suspicion. This way, they would be so integrated into the life of the host community that it would be difficult to treat them as aliens.
Finally, the call for Ibos to leave Northern Nigeria is neither feasible nor advisable. Apart from greatly disrupting the investment opportunities available to them and under-developing the host communities, such a massive relocation will send a fearful signal across the nation and provoke sentiments and reprisals that have a potential to accelerate the nation’s journey into trouble. Instead, the Ibos should continue to integrate into their host communities and collaborate with local authorities to ensure their protection, and the government of Nigeria must hasten to fix the security challenges so that the people of Nigeria can live and work in peace anywhere in the land of their fathers.
Read also Making Progress on Biafra
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