IN DEFENSE OF REASON: The Nigerian Tripod: Violence, Criticism, and Victimhood

The Inconvenient Truth.

Nigeria, since its formation, has been dominated by a tripod: three major ethnic blocs. Each bloc operates with a specific strategy to gain space in the Nigerian political arena.

The three strategies are:

1. Violence

One bloc uses occasional violence and fear to subdue others. It relies on intimidation as a tool to dominate the political space and keep rival groups in check.

2. Criticism

Another bloc uses criticism and cynicism. Through constant critique, doubt, and delegitimization of others, it tries to subdue the rest of the population and control the narrative.

3. Victimhood

The third bloc leverages victimhood, framed as exclusion. By presenting itself as the aggrieved party, it creates guilt within the Nigerian populace. That guilt is then leveraged for ascendancy and to negotiate a stronger position within the national power structure.

Closing Point

This is how Nigerian politics has worked, and continues to work today. Elites in each of these blocs actively foster these strategies among their people. The goal is control and to secure dominance in Nigeria’s political pecking order.

The others are then left with no alternative than to either hold their can or align with their perpetual struggle for National dominance and other such destructive shenanigans working against National cohesion and progress.

We need to start recognizing these core strategies for what they are.

Baba Isimi FNIA PhD