IDENTIDADES 1 ENGLISH IDENTIDADES 8 ENGLISH | Page 68

Identity issues in Nigeria regarding tribe and religion Fisayo Lanre O Medical Doctor. Nigerian residing in the UK T his is an overview of ethnic and religious issues in the Nigerian society from my perspective, an indigene from the South Western part of Nigeria who lived in the country for over 30 years. Nigeria is a highly diverse society in multicultural terms, with a population of about 180 million and at least a hundred tribes with ways of life essentially different from each other. The amalgamation of the Northern and Southern regions of the British colony with 356,669 square miles that became present day Nigeria resulted in the coming together of various people who had hardly interacted prior to the arrival of the Europeans. Among them, the main tribes are the Hausa, the Yoruba, and the Igbo. The issue of identity is often markedly defined by two factors: the tribe first, then religion. The identity as defined by the tribe becomes much less prominent outside the shores. For example, if Nigerians meet in Europe, they tend to identify with each other more in terms of nationality than with the tribe, which is easy to understand. Religion has largely contributed to divide the Nigerian people. The northerners are mainly Muslims, as determined by the flow of the Arabs from North Africa. The European missionaries came in by sea; hence the southern regions of the country are predominantly Christian. Traditional religions based on paying homage to various spirits and gods still persist in small groups (compared to the two main religions) across almost the entire country, especially the areas south of the Niger and Benue rivers. The indigenous religions thrive in these areas mostly because Islam penetrated society in the north more than Christianity did in the south. It is worth noting that religion doesn’t particularly form an equal division of “north and south” as it is often speculated by outsiders. Relations between Christia