#NigeriaDecides2023: FFK And The Dangers of Stoking Ethnic Sentiments

By Ifeanyi Onyekere

There’s a wise saying that those who ignore history are bound to repeat it. The Nigerian/Biafran war fought between 1967-1970 sparked off from ethnic coloration and inciting of one group of people against the other. That’s why what most APC politicians are doing currently, especially in Lagos is utterly despicable.

Igbos have been contributing to the growth of Nigeria in no small measure. They belong to Nigeria in all ramifications. However, they wanted to leave Nigeria and become Biafra because of ethnic bigots like FFK, but with the assistance of the western and Russian powers, they were beaten back into one Nigeria.

Religion and Tribalism

Unfortunately, religion is a sentimental practice that gives people a sense of connectivity to a supreme being through rituals and rites. It gives them hope of last resort which is what most people live on in this clime because of poverty engineered by politicians. Most often people do what they can’t even explain because religion told them to do so.

Interestingly, religion and tribalism are also emotionally-laden, especially in developing countries like Nigeria. Politicians always want to play to any opportunity that’d widen their chances to cling to power, and most of them harp on the religious/tribal cards, twisting every moves and thoughts without recourse but to their own advantage.

Unfortunately, these politicians who have failed in leadership play the tribal cards just to get what they want; selfish interest alone.

An enlightened mind would ask why these politicians are so desperate to power that they set people against each other based on language, type of food, kind of religion and ancestry.

In a country as diversed as Nigeria, and at this moment of political volatility, leaders supposed to muster the courage to maintain peace and orderliness. It’s so condemnable that people like Femi Fani Kayode who should be educated and lead younger generation by example would be scattering them by inciting ethnic groups against each other. But the younger generations know better now. It’s war against politicians and the young generations, not Yoruba against Igbo or Hausa against Fulani.

In a shocking and embarrassing thread of tweets on Tuesday, 7th March , FFK who has an Igbo woman as one of his wives who bore him children wrote:

“I make no apology for saying the following. Lagos is NOT no-man’s land. It belongs to the Yoruba. Other than winning the Presidency,the most imp. thing for the Yoruba to do is to ensure that @jidesanwoolu is re-elected as Gov. of Lagos. Outside of that we are finished as a race.

“The Labour Party candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, whose mother and wife are Igbo and who is running a patently anti-Yoruba and pro-Igbo campaign, is one of those that burnt properties and buses during the Endsars riots. He is also in bed with IPOB and is hell-bent on imposing an unashamedly Igbo agenda on the people of Lagos state including removing all our Yoruba traditional rulers and imposing Igbo ones. Would the Igbo allow any Yoruba man to do such a thing in the east?

“Our liberalism & willingness to accommodate others has become our biggest albatross. We gave them land, food, clothes & shelter & now they want to take everything from us & rule over us. They have even infiltrated our Churches and introduced a brand of religious intolerance.
We welcome visitors & strangers with love, kindness& open arms because that is our nature but we will never let them rule over us in our father’s land, take our land& territory & deprive us of our patrimony, heritage & ancestry. Anything short of this would be an abomination…….”

This is happening few days to an election his APC government has refused to provide security to law-abiding voters.
This is happening at a time a group of people are protesting in some parts of Lagos against Igbos that they should leave Lagos which is a Yoruba land.

This is happening at a time when FFK has lost his worth like salt that lost its taste by eating his own vomit. We all know how he called APC unprintable names, and how he swore not to join the party, but he’s now all inside the party, holding briefings for it.

Rwanda 1994

Those who don’t know history are bound to repeat it. People went to radio and television stations to incite ethnic Tutsis against Hutus. That’s how the war broke out in Rwanda in 1994, and millions of lives were lost. Africa killing Africa.

You’d want to believe that our elders who are in power currently should know better what caused the death of millions of people in Rwanda in 1994 or the examination of millions of Jews under Hitler, or the death of millions of Nigerians during the Nigerian/Biafran war. It is exactly what FFK and his likes and currently doing.

Curiously, history as subject of learning was banned from Nigerian school curriculum. However, if those who had the opportunity to be closer to events that turned history play numb to its repetition, what about those who were born years after it, and without any form or proper education on them?

The outgoing president is also known for his preference of some groups of people in his appointments to the extent that he glarinly broke the federal character rules.

Then, how do they brag themselves as unifiers? How are they leaders if not just ordinary politician hungry for power and food? How are they’d leaders when they can’t harness the differences and diversities of this country which is our strength? How are they leaders when all they do is disobey the law because they have the federal might and connections? How are they leaders when they set members of their families against each other?

This is utterly despicable. FFK should be cooling off in jail by now if not that he has his likes in government.