I Hate The Igbos: A Prominent Church Pastor Said

image by Gideon Summerfield 

A Pastor of a prominent church in Nigeria disclosed this to me few days to New Year, as a house painter, I had a little contract to paint the house of a pastor, why the painting work was in progress somehow a discussion started between me and the Pastor, after I had told him am from the South South part of Nigeria.

At the peak of our discussion he said

“I hate the Igbos and if not for my wife we would not have given you this contract.” for few seconds I felt a sudden quietness deep inside my heart, as I started pondering, on what to say to this Pastor, and also give him reasons why he should love the Igbos. “Why don’t you like the Igbos?” I asked.

He further said to me after few moment of silent,“I once had a deal with an Igbo man as the deal was about to being fruitful, the Igbo man canceled the deal because his fellow Igbo men showed up in the process of the deal.”  

That was just how he developed a sudden hatred for the Igbos including the innocent Igbo people and tribe.

I kept silent for some seconds, why I concentrate on my painting work with my painter’s employee, I told him. “Do you know what Sir?”  “What?” He replied, “They are still millions of Igbo people who are exceptionally great and good.” He ask again “how can I know this good Igbo people?” “They are everywhere you go, and you can only see them when you open your mind up to them,” I said to him.

“Yes yes I have to open my mind to see them.” He added like somebody who has just been woken up from a deep sleep nightmare.

Note, this is a religious man and senior, Pastor of a prominent church parish in Nigeria. Saying this. I have also stayed in Edo State, Benin City in Nigeria precisely where a young man said he doesn’t like an Yoruba man because he believes that Yoruba people speak their language everywhere even in the office, I said just that in my mind.

As a Nigerian I have witnessed an Igbo man who displayed hatred to a Yoruba man, through his attitude toward the Yoruba man I know that. I have also seen and witnessed a high level of tribal sentiment in all Nigeria tribes.

But just very few Nigerians are free from tribal sentiment.

The Passion and spirit to write on this article was motivated by the said Yoruba man story and how this tribal sentiment has also swallowed, deteriorate, the growth, and development of the Nigerian Economy as a whole.

The questions I want to throw to us, is:

·         What would you say about the Yoruba Pastors attitude to the Igbos?

·         What do you think about the Igbos, Yorubas, Hausas and other tribes in Nigeria?

·         What would be your advice to the whole tribes in Nigeria?

·         And how can we grow love among us?

·         Or should we ask God to take away our languages and give us one a single language?

Please your contribution is highly needed on this article.

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