The root of Hatred in today’s world is intricate and varied. A variety of causes, such as intolerance based on race or religion, political opinions or ideologies like nationalism and populism, as well as individual grievances, all contribute to this. As a species, we are more separated than ever in the world we live in today. Hate crimes, hate speech, transphobia, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, racism, homophobia, and religious segregation are at an all-time high. Nowadays, people are more prone to transmit hate than they are to spread love.
Throughout the history of Nigeria, there have been incidents of hate speech and criminal activity. The events leading up to, during, and following the Nigerian Civil War in 1967 must be considered the most notable example.
Cultural clashes among the nation’s more than 250 different Ethnic groups breed unfathomable hatred over time, which can result in tribalism and hate crimes against a particular ethnic community. The nationwide Ghana Must Go movement in 1983 and the more recent xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa in 2020 demonstrate that we as a race have a lot of difficulty cooperating with people we consider foreigners or “not part of us.”
In order to “protect the interest of the indigenes,” Lagos House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa submitted a bill in June 2023. Even though the bill itself seems harmless, laws that draw a line between tribes, particularly in places like Lagos where other Ethnic Groups are strongly represented, will only reinforce the idea that there are people we should view as outsiders and feed the notion that we are not all the same. This alongside ethnic tensions rising among ethnic groups throughout the country, is a disaster waiting to happen. My mother used to say that Nigeria is a nation with “little nations,” and I personally take delight in the diversity of this great country. I hope for time when we don’t care about someone’s ethnic origins as much and are contented know that they are a Nigerian, and when the typical first-meeting question isn’t “what tribe are you from?” so we can lump them in with all the stereotypes we already have about those groups. Since the civil war, the ethnic tensions has been in a perpetual faux, slowly rising and falling, waiting for the straw that will break the camel’s back, and opening that can of worms we so desperately want to keep shut.
In the Southern region of Nigeria, animosity towards Northerners is frequent. Occasionally, reports of hate crimes or speeches directed at Northerners will surface, and as a result of the increased number of herdsmen-related kidnappings and murders, people are becoming more wary of the group. This is not just relevant to the North. The public have this strange urge to blame any flaws in an individual or a group of persons from a specific ethnic group on the entire group. People tend to assume that since there is one bad apple, the entire tree must be destroyed. There will always be a few bad apples in every political, social, economic, religious, or tribal organization, but it doesn’t mean the entire tree is rotten!
Hatred is increasing as more attention is paid to the LGBT community. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t hear some homophobic remarks. Everyone just seems to make it a point to share their unwelcome viewpoint on the subject.
Personally, I’m fed up. The majority of the hatred stems from social or religious grounds, none of which are based on an informed personal opinion. I fail to see why anyone would believe that people would choose to belong to a group that is punishable by death or a severe penalty in more than 60 nations around the world, where they could wind up being distant from their family, friends, and society as a whole. I find it terrible that, like mindless zombies, they will do something only because a book instructs them to and that it is wrong because society says it is. You are free to hold a viewpoint that you do not agree with or support, but when will people realize that this does not equate to hatred and abhorrence?
Technology can unite us by bridging our physical and virtual divides, but if not handled responsibly, it can also occasionally foment hostility. As a case study, Delta State University (Delsu) had their Student Union Government (SUG) week on the 17th-22nd of 2023. On their switch day, a practice that has been carried out for years where boys dress up as girls and girls as boys, Both parties are supposed to spend a day walking in each other’s shoes. A seemingly straightforward exercise that was intended to be entertaining and educational ended up serving as a public hate speech beacon. Videos of the event were shared on several social media sites, a video of the occurrence was broadcast on the media and news platform Yabaleftonline247 on Instagram. It received over 500k views and over 3000 comments, 80% of which were atrocious. The scene became so tense that the police commissioner declared that an investigation will be carried out into the incident, which involved a straightforward changeover day. The level of sensitivity that our society has towards the LGBT community nowadays astounds me.
It will take a team effort from individuals, communities, and organizations to eradicate hate. We can make the world a place where hate has no place by putting an emphasis on education, encouraging dialogue, promoting diversity and inclusion, addressing socioeconomic factors, and supporting grassroots movements. We can create a future that honors our shared humanity while valuing our rich diversity by embracing unity, compassion, and understanding. Let’s work together to build a society devoid of hatred, where acceptance and empathy drive our behavior and determine our shared future.
