Across the world, great nations have often had to make a difficult but necessary decision: To kill what divides them in order to save what binds them. In Nigeria, that decision has become urgent and unavoidable.
To “kill the tribes” does not mean to erase culture, language, or identity. It means to destroy tribalism —the toxic prioritisation of ethnicity over citizenship that has strangled Nigeria’s progress for decades. It is a call to confront and dismantle the ethnic biases that infect our politics, governance, and economy.
Nigeria was not born as a nation. It was stitched together by colonial convenience, forcing diverse peoples into a shared space without shared vision. Since independence, tribalism has been our Achilles’ heel. Elections, appointments, and contracts are routinely determined by ethnic arithmetic. Merit is often sacrificed on the altar of “our turn.”
Rather than forge a Nigerian identity, we’ve entrenched a system where being Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Ijaw or Tiv is more important than being Nigerian. This is why our best talent often ends up abroad, while local opportunities go to the politically connected or tribally favoured.
But Nigeria is not alone. Other countries have faced similar challenges — and responded with courage. Rwanda is one such example. After the horrific genocide of 1994, where ethnic hatred between Hutus and Tutsis cost nearly a million lives, the country made a radical decision: End ethnic identification. Public discourse no longer recognises Hutu or Tutsi — only Rwandans. While not perfect, this policy has helped rebuild national unity and pride.
Tanzania, under Julius Nyerere, inherited over 120 ethnic groups. Instead of leaning into tribal politics, Nyerere promoted Swahili as a unifying language and deliberately discouraged ethnic division. The result? Decades of relative peace in a highly diverse country.
The United States — a melting pot of races and cultures — faced deep racial and regional divides, even fighting a civil war. Through legal reform and civic integration, it built a national identity that, though still evolving, transcends origin.
India, one of the most diverse nations on earth, has sustained its unity by strengthening democratic institutions and national vision despite its deep cultural divisions.
We cannot keep pretending that “zoning,” “federal character,” and “tribal balance” are the best we can do. These are stopgaps — not solutions. We need bold reforms that promote citizenship over indigeneship, merit over ethnicity, and nationhood over tribe.
Our schools must teach national unity, not regional pride. Our media must stop fanning ethnic stereotypes. Political parties must be sanctioned for tribal campaigning. And our constitution must be reviewed to guarantee equal rights for all Nigerians, regardless of origin.
There is nothing wrong with cultural pride. Let Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Efik, and others celebrate their heritage. But let us bury tribal supremacy, prejudice, and entitlement. Let us stop defending “our thief” because he shares our name, and start defending Nigeria’s integrity.
Nigeria’s strength lies in its diversity — but only if we manage it wisely. We must foster a generation that thinks of itself first as Nigerian. A generation that votes for vision, not village. That sees leadership as service, not ethnic conquest.
To kill the tribes is to kill the divisions. To kill tribalism is to save the soul of our republic.
Other nations have chosen unity. Nigeria must now choose hers.
•Okoroafor wrote from the UK.
