To solve the issue of tribalism in Nigeria, Dr Funmi has stated that the quota system, state of origin, cutoff marks for different states and others should be scrapped.
He said this while responding to the issue of tribalism in the country and a suggestion that intermarriages will help in bridging the gaps between the ethnic groups.
He further stated that people have been inter-marrying for years with no solution to maintaining unity within all the ethnic groups in the country.
“Intertribal marriages will achieve NOTHING. That’s like thinking interracial marriage will end racism
IF you want to solve tribalism in Nigeria:
•SCRAP “state of origin”
•SCRAP different state cutoffs in exams like JAMB/Common Entrance
•TEACH patriotism and history in schools
•SCRAP “Federal character” where incompetent people sit in positions just because of where they’re from.
•SCRAP “quota system”
•SCRAP “university catchment area”
•SCRAP filling of exam/job application forms with “tribe” “ethnic group” or “state of origin”. Scrap it totally.”
“People have been intermarrying for years and for decades- and it has achieved nothing at all.
Besides, you can’t force people to marry who/where they don’t want to.
But you can force institutional and systemic changes which will lead to a new generation with a better attitude.
God forbid we get another civil war, you will see the absolute futility of intertribal marriages.
Read the story of 1994 Rwandan genocide- husbands killing wives or watching wives being killed because the wife is from another tribe; mothers watching children being killed etc.
The only effective way out of tribalism- not a perfect way, but surely effective way is government systemic policies that deliberately tackle tribalism like scrapping state of origin and quota system.
As we tackle tribalism systemically,
People will naturally marry one another.”
The ethnic war in Nigeria has been going on for years with tribes fighting each other at any given time.
