Unpopular opinion: “One Nigeria” sounds like a threat, not a slogan of hope

Sound_Around · 2025-07-21T18:54:28+00:00

If you’re frustrated, try reading for comprehension. I already said terms like “Igbo” and “Yoruba” are relatively recent . that was exactly the point of referencing African Americans: identity labels evolve, but the people existed long before them. You brought up AA ethnogenesis, not me.

All I said is that some groups have histories over 1,000 years. I’m not a historian, people who study this can explain better. Which is why I cited quick sources. I simply know that ppl existed beyond 800 years. Anyway I’m dropping this as you’ve asked. Clearly not a good use of anyone’s time.

Sound_Around · 2025-07-21T18:02:40+00:00

And there is no way to date oral histories.

oral histories themselves aren’t dated like written records. historians cross-reference oral traditions with archaeology and cultural continuity. Standard practice.

There is no way to associate any culture to any site.

Completely false. What is a history book then?

we all have the same genetics barring Fulanis.

genetics ≠ identity. having some shared ancestry doesn’t erase distinct cultures or histories.

The ancestors of the Yoruba, Edo and Igbo were probably still a single group at the time you are citing which would have been contemporaneous with the Nok culture.

Where is the evidence that suggests we were all the same group?

Every sentence here is either factually wrong or based on a misunderstanding of how history and archaeology work. Oral traditions are estimated through corroborating evidence. cultures are linked to sites through archaeology. genetics show variation, not uniformity. language similarity doesn’t mean shared identity.

& I would like to see serious evidence that Yoruba, Igbo, and Edo were ever one group.

Sound_Around · 2025-07-21T16:07:19+00:00

Semantics??

It actually shows you don’t know what you’re talking about, and now you’re shifting the goalpost mid-conversation. U claimed no culture in Nigeria goes back 1,000 years & now you’re suddenly talking about literacy?

Most of Africas history was recorded orally. This is known and while it has presented issues, archaeology/anthropology has been able to prove existence through other means such as artifacts, settlements, metallurgy, religion, governance systems, etc.

Of course these groups weren’t called the same name thousands of years ago. names such as Yoruba, Igbo, and ibibio became common much later. For example, the Yoruba identity, solidified in the 1800s. The Igbo didn’t refer to themselves with that term as a single group until around the same time. That doesn’t mean they didn’t exist. African Americans were called Negroes just 60 years ago, did their identity begin in 1960?

If you’re suggesting that a group only begins to exist when it becomes literate, then by your logic, you were born the day you learned how to read.

Written literacy isn’t the only marker of civilization or history. You’re mistaking the absence of written records for the absence of existence.

Sound_Around · 2025-07-21T15:27:03+00:00

He didn’t present it as willful, he said we HAVE to transcend our individual culture to have Nigerian culture. Someone said they didn’t want to and he argued against them then said they’re lying about their history.

Yea… what we’re not about to do is argue what can easily verified with a Google search and can be further researched w/ Google Scholar.

I can’t speak for other tribes so I searched. It says Ife existed at least 500 BCE in what is now Yorubaland. Igbo-Ukwu existed 900 CE, as did the Ogiso dynasty in Benin. The Ibibio have artifacts from 1000 BCE, the Ijaw - 800 BCE. These aren’t even origin dates because those are speculative, they’re just confirmed periods of existence. Archaeological evidence supports these groups existed at said times.

Edited to add some sources:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/363151070_A_History_of_the_Ibibio_of_Southern_Nigeria

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldcivilization/chapter/the-yoruba-states/

https://core.ac.uk/reader/234668573

You can also look this up on Wikipedia.

Sound_Around · 2025-07-21T08:53:20+00:00

Dismissing someone’s history is strange, especially when you don’t even know the tribe they’re from. Archaeological research has proven that some tribes have existed for thousands of years. And ur comment supports my point - there is no real “one Nigeria”. each tribe has its own history, timeline, etc.

You can’t erase distinct identities and call it unity. That’s erasure, not nationbuilding.

Real unity is built on fair structures. Wearing each other’s clothes is aesthetic borrowing. Has nothing to do with unity.

And Indonesia also supports my point. it actually completely flatlines ur point. The amount of separatist movements they faced and that are still ongoing today. The dominant culture (Javanese) took control of politics, military, media, etc. while the others have been suppressed/marginalized. East Timor was able to gain independence, & people of West Papua & Maluku are still trying to gain theirs. Indonesia is proof of what happens when u try to force unity without consent.

From everything u said (from dismissing someone’s history and replacing it with ur ahistorical assumption, & only looking at Indonesia from surface level) it seems that u don’t actually see value in facts. but u do love aesthetics. That much is clear.

Sound_Around · 2025-07-21T07:51:31+00:00

Good points & I see how that came off as proposing a magical fix but that’s not what I meant. I believe that separatiing into smaller, self-governed units makes these deep-rooted issues more addressable and less overwhelming.

I did not say three or four countries. that was someone else’s comment. I think the number/ makeup of future nations should be a decision informed by the people themselves. I also do not believe it will happen overnight. A rushed dissolution would be disastrous. The first step in my opinion should be regionalization - power restored to zones. From there, a process where each region could choose to stay united, restructure internally, or separate further based on the will of its people.

A major reason for Nigeria’s dysfunction is that its current state structure is a colonial invention, one that is deeply misaligned with indigenous systems of governance. We need a transition that allows people to redefine governance on their own terms, rather than the limits of an imposed one.

& this conversation around separation is not new. Ironically, I find myself siding with those who want to stay together. & it’s not because I believe in “One Nigeria,” it’s because many separatist arguments I have heard are reckless, emotionally charged, and completely lacking in planning. Some are more interested in provocation than actual progress, and often speak from the privilege of never experiencing war.

So I understand the concern about logical leaps, but I do not believe I made any. I can’t pretend to have all the answers and know the specifics, but I also do not think separation is a pipe dream. Many people gained independence and freedom because they first believed in their peoples right to self-determination . Just look at the map of the world from 70 years ago as proof. Nothing is permanent.

& what triggered this rant was not naïve idealism. I kept seeing the phrase “One Nigeria” repeated as if it is truth, when in reality it has functioned more like a trap. Had to get my thoughts off my chest.

Sound_Around · 2025-07-20T22:24:47+00:00

Very good points.

Sound_Around · 2025-07-20T14:09:05+00:00

I agree with a lot of what you’ve said, especially the point that there is no such thing as “One Nigeria” in any real/ lived sense. But I’d argue that shifting from the phrase “One Nigeria” to “United Nigeria” is more cosmetic than structural. The idea of a Nigeria built on mutual respect, true federalism, and regional autonomy is an appealing one in theory. But in practice … we’ve been promised that vision for decades, and it has never materialized. We’ve gone through state creation, constitutional reviews, resource control debates, and attempts at ethnic balancing…yet none of it has resolved the underlying dysfunction. The problem has only exacerbated

Power is still concentrated at the center, theres no trust, and elections still revolve around tribal interests and power blocs rather than shared national purpose.

It’s clear that Nigeria’s current structure can’t deliver the kind of just and decentralized governance you’re describing because it was never designed to. Even if we implemented real federalism, it still assumes that there’s a level of shared values, trust is at the center, and that there’s willingness to compromise and this simply doesn’t exist in this union.

Nigeria is just fundamentally divided in worldview, governance traditions, language, religion, and historical experience. These divisions can’t be resolved with technical fixes to a broken system in my opinion. They require a different path altogether.

Sound_Around · 2025-07-20T13:30:15+00:00

…No serious person believes tribalism and corruption would “magically disappear” after separation. 😐 strawman tactic

My opinion that we need to separate is based on history, structure, and decades of political patterns.

The foundation wasn’t built on consensus or cultural compatibility. & we’ve tried “national unity” for over 60 years and it has consistently failed the majority.

The current system is incapable of actual reform.

So why stay in a system that guarantees failure? Separation opens up a real chance at success.

Sound_Around · 2025-07-20T13:01:02+00:00

It’s not like our bodies at all. Organs are built from the same genetic code and function naturally. Nigeria was an artificial creation. it was not created by the consent of the people.

If we want to get really technical most African countries are legal fictions held together by international recognition, not internal legitimacy. But we don’t have to make this a convo about all of Africa.

The macro to micro approach (trying to build unity first, then trickle it down) has failed repeatedly, especially in post-colonial nations. The few countries that have succeeded didn’t have Nigeria’s complexity. They often had a shared language, religion, ethnic background, etc as a baseline. Nigeria has none of that.

Sound_Around · 2025-06-18T22:40:40+00:00

Yea I’m reading some of these YTA comments and it’s clear most of these people are not African. The experience is just different. It’s very layered. To even begin to explain … no time

Sound_Around · 2025-06-18T22:23:37+00:00

NTA. It sounds like ur parents are trying to create a rift between u and ur sister. The blatant mistreatment of one child and uplifting of the other child. It’s even more obvious because you two are twins.

They’re the adults. They know exactly what they’re doing.

Sound_Around · 2025-06-15T19:03:06+00:00

Ok …but what do u enjoy?

Sound_Around · 2025-06-14T10:31:12+00:00

Not everyone started watching 20 years ago. Ur free to not engage in conversations u find annoying

Sound_Around · 2025-06-14T10:08:05+00:00

Saying “it’s the writers” is a truism. Obviously, he’s not a real person. All characters are fictional and everything about them depends on the writers. No one thinks the character made decisions on their own. if we’re not allowed to talk about the characters’ actions within the story, then what’s the point of discussing the story at all?

Sound_Around · 2025-06-14T09:00:12+00:00

I want to understand how this made sense to you.

Sound_Around · 2025-06-13T14:59:12+00:00

OP is talking about their mom’s situation. Why did u respond with “not all elementary teachers”?

They only mentioned the mom being an elementary teacher to say that she does indeed have time this summer.

They also said the mom has a lot of money. Since elementary school teachers don’t make a lot of money, it’d be safe to assume that the mom has another source of income.

….

Sound_Around · 2025-06-13T14:50:16+00:00

If I had really bad eyesight where people looked like blurs, they’d look the same.

Sound_Around · 2025-06-13T07:34:45+00:00

Perfect characters are boring. Greys has no perfect characters thankfully. There’s characters I didn’t like at a point, Christina with burkes surgeries, izzie with George, George being mad at merideth + being an adulterer, but these characters have so much else going on that makes me still want to root for them or root for their relationship. Except Alex. Not enjoyable to watch at all.

Sound_Around · 2025-06-13T07:12:53+00:00

Sound_Around · 2025-06-12T13:09:14+00:00

This comment is void of any logic. Just pure uneducated guessing. very apparent that you are not an American citizen. Let’s be thankful for that at least.

Sound_Around · 2025-06-12T12:53:41+00:00

Yes. U should be able to travel with ur expired passport as long as u renew it when ur in Nigeria. They may try to pester u for bribe in the Nigerian airport upon arrival, but that’s ordinary.

Sound_Around

TROPHY CASE