By Pascal Ibe

Nigeria, home to over 250 different ethnic groups, has struggled to overcome tribal tensions that have plagued it for decades. In many parts of the country, tribalism remains a major issue, leading to countless conflicts and violent clashes.

Tribalism creates an “us versus them” mentality that leads to a breakdown in communication and understanding. It breeds distrust, suspicion and often leads to violence.

The consequences of tribal conflicts in Nigeria are far-reaching, leading to the loss of countless lives, the displacement of millions of people, and the destruction of entire communities. Tribal conflicts have also hindered economic development and prevented Nigeria from reaching its full potential as a nation.

Tribalism has also affected individual lives in many ways. I had a situation in 2019 where I could not rent an apartment in Lagos because the landlords would not rent their houses to me because I was Igbo. In another case, a friend of mine could not marry the love of his life because his family forbade him from marrying a person from another tribe.

A Facebook page named Advert and Publicity on Jul 6th, 2024, wrote that the Yoruba paramount Ruler, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ooni of Ife stated that Igbos fight war over of Kola Nut.

According to the claim by Advert and Publicity on Facebook, “Igbos F!ght W∆r Because Of Kola Nut, It Doesn’t Gr0w In Their Laπd.The Only Thing Th£y Have And Can Gr0w Is Gardeπ Eggs”- Ooni of ife says“.

“According to Ooni of IFE, Ígbo land does not produce kola nut and the only thing that grows there is garden, he further challenged anyone with proof of growing kola nut in Igbo land to come forward with proofs, according to him it comes from Yoruba land.

“Interviewer: Tell us more about the kola nut analogy.

“Ooni: Let us research kola nuts. Why is it that the Igbos are so particular about it? They f!ght wars in Igbo land because of kola nut. They will tell you to bring this specific kola nut. Bring this, get that. They fight wars so much. Yes. The only thing that grows in their place is the garden egg. They can grow that one very well. But that kola nut, they should come and tell me where it’s been grown in Igbo land. No, they buy it from Yoruba land.“

The post which has gamered over 4.5k reacting since the start of July, has attracted anger from commenters who are Igbos.

A Facebook user, Bro Chinedu Nwafor who commented on the post, wrote, “Mind you oga Igbos don’t use Hausa or yoroba kola nut for anything traditional We grow our own“

Another user named Washynton Stanley said, “Evidence that the man is not well traveled across Nigeria particularly Eastern regions of the country or rather has no real friends from the zone because if he does, one of his friends could’ve brought to him the typical Oji Igbo as a gift. Igbo people welcome their guests with Oji Igbo and gifts Oji Igbo to their friends.“

Verification

A thorough search online indicated that the above comments or video of the interview attributed to Ooni of Ife, cannot be found anywhere.

No credible news organization in Nigeria reported this.

Ooni of ife is currently in news over allegation that he swindled one Ms Fagbule in a $180,000 marriage scam.

On Wednesday, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Wednesday, described the allegations as spurious and baseless.

Reacting to a trending news on social media, the monarch cautioned women to avoid making themselves victims of internet marriage fraud.

According to a statement by his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, the Ife monarch said, “It is worrisome the level at which ladies have been making themselves victims of marriage frauds on the internet despite our several warnings to the general public, particularly ladies whose ultimate ambition is to become queens of the Ooni by all means.


“Even though it is not in our tradition to respond to fake news like this posted and promoted by a criminal faceless source through a Twitter (now X) account, it has become imperative to make this response for necessary clarifications in order to calm the inundation of the genuine concerns expressed by subjects, friends and lovers of the Ooni globally on this matter.

Verdict

The comments attributed to Ooni of Ife are FALSE.