• Home
  • Anti-Corruption
  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
  • National
    • Government
  • Security
  • Features
  • State
  • Event
    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Search
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
PRNIGERIA PRNigeria News
PRNIGERIA PRNIGERIA
  • Home
  • Anti-Corruption
    • Mohammed Idris Malagi, Honorable Minister of Information and National Orientation

      FG Reaffirms Non-Interference in ICPC, EFCC Operations

      ICPC Secures Conviction of Rector for Running Unaccredited Degree Programmes

      Engr Abba Babagana Dalori

      Engr Dalori Forfeits Galaxy Hospital, Petrol Station, Properties & Cash

      Chinese nationals jailed in Lagos

      Court Jails Nine Chinese Nationals for Cybercrime in Lagos

      ASUU

      Tackle Corruption, Institutional Decay – ASUU Charges FG

  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
    • NUPENG

      NUPENG Suspends Strike After Truce With FG, Labour, Oil Stakeholders

      Customs, Defence Bureau Unveil Airboat for Smuggling War

      Customs Begins Live Operations of Automated Excise Register System

      Still on the “National Single Window” Project By Abdulsalam Mahmud

      Minister of Finance Wale Edun and the Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adeniyi decorating OP Olaniyan

      Customs Generates N3.7trn in H1 2025 as FG Targets Enhanced Private…

  • National
    • Officers of NSCDC Mining Marshals

      Mining Marshals and the Fight for Nigeria’s Mineral Future By Zekeri…

      NIPR President Ike Neliaku

      NIPR Inducts 422 New Members, Urges Commitment to National Unity

      Ahmed Balarabe Sa'id

      Renewed Hope and the Broadening Public Sphere By Ahmed Balarabe Sa’id

      The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa

      FG to Schools: Get Certified Teachers or Lose WAEC Accreditation

      Troops Eliminate Terrorist, Rescue Kidnap Victims in Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna

    • Government
      • Governor Kabir Abba Yusuf and the conjoined twins

        Kano Separated Conjoined Twins Return Home After Successful Surgery in S/Arabia

        Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, Kano State

        Kano Government Approves ₦1.1bn for School Uniforms to Tackle Out-of-School Children…

        Ahmed Balarabe Sa'id

        Renewed Hope and the Broadening Public Sphere By Ahmed Balarabe Sa’id

        The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa

        FG to Schools: Get Certified Teachers or Lose WAEC Accreditation

        ECOBANK

        ECOWAS debt: Court Remands Ecobank Legal Head over Perjury, defamation of…

  • Security
    • Military Troops in Action

      Military Eliminates Terrorist Commanders in Yobe, Foil Attacks in Sokoto, Zamfara

      court Judiciary

      Court Okays DSS Request to Accelerate Trial of Al-Barnawi, 4 Other…

      Inspector-General of Police Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun

      Police Chief Tasks Border Patrol Commanders on Enhanced Security

      Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar NAF Chief

      Air Chief Links Fiscal Discipline to Nigeria’s National Security, Operational Readiness

      Army Arrest Notorious Cattle Rustlers, Recover Arms in Plateau

  • Features
    • Officers of NSCDC Mining Marshals

      Mining Marshals and the Fight for Nigeria’s Mineral Future By Zekeri…

      Omoyele Sowore, Bayo Ononuga and Adeola Ajayi

      Sowore’s Provocation, Onanuga’s Plea and the DSS Overreach

      Ahmed Balarabe Sa'id

      Renewed Hope and the Broadening Public Sphere By Ahmed Balarabe Sa’id

      Traffic officials tolling the vehicle at the scene in Abuja

      SPECIAL REPORT: Extortion, Blood and Impunity Behind Abuja’s Agbero Menace

      AI for Writing

      MUST READ: Why Everyone Should Use AI for Writing, With Pride…

  • State
    • Military Troops in Action

      Military Eliminates Terrorist Commanders in Yobe, Foil Attacks in Sokoto, Zamfara

      Prof. Abubakar Mu’azu

      UNIMAID appoints Prof. Mu’azu as Pioneer Dean, Faculty of Communication

      Governor Kabir Abba Yusuf and the conjoined twins

      Kano Separated Conjoined Twins Return Home After Successful Surgery in S/Arabia

      court Judiciary

      Court Okays DSS Request to Accelerate Trial of Al-Barnawi, 4 Other…

      Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, Kano State

      Kano Government Approves ₦1.1bn for School Uniforms to Tackle Out-of-School Children…

  • Event
    • Prof. Abubakar Mu’azu

      UNIMAID appoints Prof. Mu’azu as Pioneer Dean, Faculty of Communication

      NIPR President Ike Neliaku

      NIPR Inducts 422 New Members, Urges Commitment to National Unity

      Baze University Management visits TETFUND, Showcases Tech-Driven Growth, National Impact

      PHOTOS: BUK Alumni Association Launches Digital Hub to Unite Global Graduates,…

      Founder Image Merchant Promotion Ltd, Yushau Shuaib, Nigeria Customs CG, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and the IPRA representative during the 2024 GWA awards in Belgrade, Serbia

      Again, ​IPRA Shortlists Nigeria Customs, IMPR for Golden World Awards, Celebrates…

    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Home Features One-Sided Report on Igbos: A Fulani Woman’s Dilemma
  • Features

One-Sided Report on Igbos: A Fulani Woman’s Dilemma

By
Zubaida Baba Ibrahim
-
June 8, 2021
Zubaida Baba Ibrahim
Zubaida Baba Ibrahim

One-Sided Report on Igbos: A Fulani Woman’s Dilemma
By Zubaida Baba Ibrahim

There is a school of thought that writer’s block comes from having no ideas at all. I like to refer to it as the ‘creative juices’ not flowing enough or even at all. Others say it comes from an overflow of ideas when there is a clash of interests that your mind cannot narrow it down to one.

However, my experience with writer’s block was different, stemming up from the fear of not being able to pen down what I most needed to write.

A crippling unease invades my psyche; I begin to wonder if there is a moral code for writing about other people that have different life experiences than I do.

A week ago, I wrote an opinion piece titled “Is IPOB AGovC Alliance a Terrorism Ploy?” and newspapers of great repute such as Daily Trust, Premium Times, Vanguard and Daily Post and more that had published my articles prior to that gave it a cold shoulder.

I found the experience absolutely strange, but eventually, the reason for the snub would surface after The Guardian published it and cleaned off every issue I made against the pro-Biafra group, Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and their hostilities. It seemed like my opinion had hit a nerve, but then flaying IPOB does not equate to me flaying the entire Igbos or Igboland and what it stands for.

As a Fulani woman of Fulani descent hailing from Yola-North, Adamawa state where the majority ethnicity is the Fulbe/Fulani, does condemnation to vile Fulani-herdsmen mean an attack on my entire ethnicity? Or does casting aspersion on Boko Haram which is Nigeria’s radical Islamist group a jab at my entire religion? Absolutely not.

As a lover of good literature, some of the group of people who make me accept who I am as a Nigerian, apart from great Northerners include Igbo writers like Buchi Emecheta, Flora Nwapa and the great Chinua Achebe. In fact, as I write this I remember from my secondary school days how my usually boring literature class would come alive when discussing Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. The novel is not only a significant book in literature because of its disparity from the ‘relatable/likeable protagonist’ trope. It is also a significant book in history because it tells the story of African colonization from the African perspective.

It is also through their inks I learnt about the Nigerian civil war of 1967 and the strong-willed people of Biafra.

Though I do not think it is fair to affiliate a group of people by their misfortune and tragedies, sometimes the necessity to do so arises in order to truly appreciate the strengths of the Igbo people.

I know people hear the phrase “Civil War” and think it happened centuries back whereby only our ancestral fathers witnessed it. It actually happened some 50 years ago and our parents including some of our immediate aunties and uncles were alive and had experienced it.

Conversely, one thing I want to cast light on is that during the war Nigeria had changed its currency and so after the war. The Igbos who came out of the battle alive were homeless and unemployed. Those that still had the old currency couldn’t utilize it and were left without means or financial resources.

To rectify the issue, the Federal Government gave each Igbo citizen 20 Nigerian Pounds regardless of what the person had prior to the war.

Read Also:

  • Military Eliminates Terrorist Commanders in Yobe, Foil Attacks in Sokoto, Zamfara
  • UNIMAID appoints Prof. Mu’azu as Pioneer Dean, Faculty of Communication
  • Kano Separated Conjoined Twins Return Home After Successful Surgery in S/Arabia

It was also at that time that the Nigerian Indigenisation Decree was implemented. This ‘Nigerianization’ policy as it was popularly known forced foreign companies to sell their shares to Nigerians. Since the Igbos had that 20 Nigerian Pounds to their names they couldn’t benefit from said shares.

Today the wealthiest demographic in Nigeria is arguably the Igbos who acquire their wealth from sheer sweat and determination. This wealth can actually be traced back to that 20 Nigerian Pounds and how they managed to achieve this is by creating generational wealth.

Apart from the Southeasterner’s ability to persevere, another thing that is of great admiration is their unique entrepreneurialism that integrates a form of all-for-one-and-one-for-all empowerment known as the ‘Nwa Boy’.

This concept is an Igbo mentoring business that is in a form of apprenticeship that entails the youth sacrificing early marital life for servitude to their mentors who are successful entrepreneurs and this earns the young men business skills and financial support to establish their own small scale enterprise and at that process of time another set of young men will be introduced to the former mentee to become a mentor himself, and the circle goes on.

The ‘Nwa Boy’ scheme has been in existence for a long time in the southeastern region and can be said to be responsible for the root of many successful ventures.

Pondering on my favourite Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk speech titled “The dangers of a single story” which is the most-watched TED talk video on YouTube by the way, I want to point out how the media influences our beliefs.

It is unfortunate to say that the way we view ourselves as people of different ethnic groups in Nigeria is highly impacted by the media. The media’s social mechanism has an indirect influence on those that feast on it and this is due to the fact that the mode of delivery is usually public.

I understand that the media is a powerful tool to educate, inform and entertain in a positive light and enhance coordination on a norm or action through creating common knowledge.

Still, some of the information disseminated over a period of time causes us all to update our beliefs be it shared or personal.

Most of us will find out that what we think we know about a person or a group of persons is through the media’s counsel. An example is the stereotyping of Igbos as only electronic merchants and stereotyping of anyone named Musa to be a gateman.

Sometimes instead of the media being catalysts for peaceful coexistence and national unity, they end up confusing those who look up to them and serve as ethnocentric champions promoting primordial and secessionist agenda.

Asking my Igbo friend, Chukwukadibia Echefu, who we simply call ‘Cef’ his views on IPOB. He explained to me that the ideology behind the group was set to be rather reactive to evil elements than to instigate. Before I could ask if violence was the best method to respond to said elements, he condemned the criminal components of the group and of the society at large. We ended the conversation agreeing that Nigeria as a unit could benefit from the strengths of its mix of colourful ethnicities when combined in harmony.

From the foregoing, I have nothing against the peace-loving Igbos, as a Fulani woman but the IPOB militants who are seeking a secession through violent means.

Zubaidah, a graduate of Mass Communication is a Staff Writer with PRNigeria Abuja

VISIT OUR OTHER WEBSITES
PRNigeria.com EconomicConfidential.com PRNigeria.com/Hausa/
EmergencyDigest.com PoliticsDigest.ng TechDigest.ng
HealthDigest.ng SpokesPersonsdigest.com TeensDigest.ng
ArewaAgenda.com Hausa.ArewaAgenda.com YAShuaib.com
  • TAGS
  • Fulani Woman
  • Igbos
  • IPOB
Previous articleInsecurity: North Central Body to Convene Security Summit
Next articleImmigration: NIS Reopens Passport Application Portal
Zubaida Baba Ibrahim
Zubaida Baba Ibrahim
https://prnigeria.com
PRNigeria is the pioneer Press Release Distribution agency in Nigeria. A member of image Merchant Promotions limited, PRNigeria encourages individuals and organisations to be more transparent in their information management. with dedicated Editorial staffs, the PRNigeria ensures that information provided on its platforms are timely, factual and authoritative Read more at: //prnigeria.com/about/
Facebook Twitter

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Officers of NSCDC Mining Marshals

Mining Marshals and the Fight for Nigeria’s Mineral Future By Zekeri Idakwo Laruba

Omoyele Sowore, Bayo Ononuga and Adeola Ajayi

Sowore’s Provocation, Onanuga’s Plea and the DSS Overreach

Police Nab ‘Obi of Lagos,’ Foil ₦1.5 Billion New Palace Fraud

Ahmed Balarabe Sa'id

Renewed Hope and the Broadening Public Sphere By Ahmed Balarabe Sa’id

FACT-CHECK: Did Governor Uba Sani describe El-Rufai as “Godsent” who assisted him with various needs, including property acquisitions and even against Peter Obi?

The Arrest of Ansaru Kingpins Mahmud Muhammad Usman aka Abu Bara’a, and Mahmud al-Nigeri aka Mallam Mamuda

DSS Secures 15-Year Jail Term for Ansaru Leader Over Illegal Mining

Traffic officials tolling the vehicle at the scene in Abuja

SPECIAL REPORT: Extortion, Blood and Impunity Behind Abuja’s Agbero Menace

AI for Writing

MUST READ: Why Everyone Should Use AI for Writing, With Pride Without Shame By Abdulsalam Mahmud

Mrs Diiarau Didi Esther Walson-Jack OON mni, SEC 30, 2008, the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation

Personnel Audit to End Guesswork in Civil Service Reforms – Walson-Jack

Nigerian Army Rescues Abducted Major in Delta State

AFIT graduates

AFIT Produces 302 New Personnel to Boost Air Force Technical Capacity

Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd)

Marwa: The Tormentor of Untouchable Drug Lords By Yushau A. Shuaib

Recent Posts

  • Military Eliminates Terrorist Commanders in Yobe, Foil Attacks in Sokoto, Zamfara
  • UNIMAID appoints Prof. Mu’azu as Pioneer Dean, Faculty of Communication
  • Kano Separated Conjoined Twins Return Home After Successful Surgery in S/Arabia
  • Court Okays DSS Request to Accelerate Trial of Al-Barnawi, 4 Other Terrorists
  • Kano Government Approves ₦1.1bn for School Uniforms to Tackle Out-of-School Children Crisis
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
© 2020 PRNigeria. All Rights Reserved.
Latest News
Military Eliminates Terrorist Commanders in Yobe, Foil Attacks in Sokoto, ZamfaraUNIMAID appoints Prof. Mu’azu as Pioneer Dean, Faculty of CommunicationKano Separated Conjoined Twins Return Home After Successful Surgery in S/ArabiaCourt Okays DSS Request to Accelerate Trial of Al-Barnawi, 4 Other TerroristsKano Government Approves ₦1.1bn for School Uniforms to Tackle Out-of-School Children CrisisPolice Chief Tasks Border Patrol Commanders on Enhanced SecurityAir Chief Links Fiscal Discipline to Nigeria’s National Security, Operational ReadinessArmy Arrest Notorious Cattle Rustlers, Recover Arms in PlateauTroops Repel Bandits’ Attacks in Kaduna, Katsina, Recover Rustled CattleMining Marshals and the Fight for Nigeria’s Mineral Future By Zekeri Idakwo LarubaNIPR Inducts 422 New Members, Urges Commitment to National UnitySowore’s Provocation, Onanuga’s Plea and the DSS OverreachNigerian Troops Intercept Ransom Money, Recover 160 Rustled CattlePolice Nab 'Obi of Lagos,' Foil ₦1.5 Billion New Palace FraudRenewed Hope and the Broadening Public Sphere By Ahmed Balarabe Sa’id
X whatsapp