The Biggest Scandal In Tribalism: Nigerian Politicians Vs The People

          Nigeria’s biggest enemy might not be corruption, inflation, or insecurity—but tribalism disguised as loyalty.

We often blame our leaders for practicing ethnic favoritism, for appointing only their own people into power, or for marginalizing entire regions from development and opportunity. 

And while those are valid accusations, we rarely take a hard look at ourselves as a people—because the truth is, the same tribalism we condemn in our politicians exists in us.

1. Tribalism in Leadership: 

        Let’s start at the top. Political appointments in Nigeria are heavily influenced by tribal affiliations. Rather than choosing competent individuals based on merit, leaders often appoint people from their own ethnic group regardless of their qualification.

 The result?

Incompetent people in powerful roles.

Unbalanced representation in national projects.

Neglected regions leading to underdevelopment.

National resentment and disunity.

For example, when government contracts, security appointments, or education scholarships are given mostly to people from the same ethnic group as the leader, it hinders fairness and limits national growth.

But this isn’t where it ends—it’s where it begins.

2. The People Are Not Innocent:

            We cry for fairness at the top, but how fair are we in our daily lives?

Yoruba business owners hiring only Yoruba.

Igbo CEOs promoting only Igbo staff.

Hausa landlords refusing to rent to people from other tribes.

Inter-tribal marriages still being rejected in 2025 by families who believe “you shouldn’t marry outside your people.”

      Even our school system is tribal. Nigerian state universities charge higher tuition fees to non-indigenes—students from other states—simply because they don’t belong.

You could be a brilliant, hardworking Nigerian, but if your place of birth doesn’t match the local government’s, you pay more for the same education.

If we’ve normalized discrimination in education—where knowledge should be equal for all—how can we expect fairness in politics, business, or job markets?

If you’ve ever referred someone to a job because “they’re our person”, even if someone else was more qualified—you’ve contributed to the same problem you complain about.

So, how can we ask our politicians to unify the country when we practice division ourselves?

3. Tribalism Kills Innovation and Opportunity

Economic growth relies on:

Collaboration

Competition

Open access to opportunity

But tribalism blocks all three. When you only hire from your tribe:

You limit the talent pool.

You create an echo chamber of the same ideas.

You discourage bright minds from participating in the economy.

       This is how entire industries become ethnically locked, making it harder for new entrepreneurs or investors from other regions to break in.

That’s not growth. That’s stagnation.

4. Ethnic Favoritism Breeds Distrust in the System

         When people believe that no matter how hard they work, they’ll be denied opportunity because of their tribe, accent, or background—they lose faith in the system. That’s how countries lose their best minds:

Talented Nigerians migrate because they’re tired of being sidelined.

Investors pull out due to insecurity and instability caused by ethnic tension.

Businesses collapse because the system is built on who you know rather than what you can do.

5. Hypocrisy is the Real Epidemic

      It’s easy to tweet “One Nigeria” and turn around to say, “I can’t trust people from that tribe.”

It’s easy to say “Our leaders are tribalistic” and turn around to help only your own because you feel entitled to “protect your people.”

But real growth starts when we confront our double standards and build a system where merit—not tribe—wins.

So What Can We Do?

1. Promote meritocracy in hiring and appointments. Choose based on skill, not tribe.

2. Educate the next generation differently. Teach children that character and competence matter more than ethnicity.

3. Support cross-cultural collaboration. Partner with people from other regions. Build diverse teams.

4. Demand and model fairness. Don’t just call out tribalism at the top. Stop it in your homes, businesses, churches, and mosques.

We Either Grow as One, or Not at All

        Nigeria’s strength is in its diversity—but tribal politics and cultural tribalism continue to weaken our collective potential.

If we truly want economic growth, we must stop pretending this is only a leadership problem.

We must first fix it in us—before we can fix it in them.

Thanks for reading. We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. If you liked this article, follow us so you don't miss out on more amazing articles... See you soon 🥰