Nigeria Beyond Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba

(By Lucia Edafioka – Sabinews) - Dear teacher, Nigeria does not have 3 tribes

One of my ‘smallies’ was studying for her exams, so in the usual Nigerian school way, she was cramming and reading in a sing song way. ‘We have two religions in Nigeria, we have 3 tribes in Nigeria.’

Three tribes caught my ear, I turned to her, ‘We have 3 tribes in Nigeria? Let me see your book.’ Lo and behold, it was ‘we have three tribes in Nigeria’ in the book. So I asked her, ‘what tribe are you?’ She said, ‘Urhobo.’ ‘Are you in Nigeria?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘So why are you not among the tribes in your notebook?’ ‘I dunno, my Aunty said…’ she continued sing-songing. She is 5.

I was born in Delta state and there alone we have the Urhobos, Itsekiris, Ijaw, Isoko, and Anioma. In DSC, (Delta Steel Company), housing where I grew up, I knew people that were Idoma, Tiv, Fulani, Ishan, Bini, Yorubas, Igbos, Ogoni, Kalabiri, Efik, Ibibio, Igala, etc.

I thought everyone knew we had more than 3 tribes in Nigeria. Imagine my surprise when I went to the East for my University education and people asked what tribe I was. ‘Urhobo, from Delta state,’ and I got ‘what is Urhobo?’

‘Why don’t you understand Igbo? Delta state people are Igbos na.’