A Nigerian man’s emotional outburst has gone viral online, sparking heated debate about tribal bigotry, selective outrage, and the deep-rooted double standards in how Nigerians react to ethnic slurs — depending on who is speaking and who is targeted.
“Igbos go do bigotry, laugh go full everywhere. Everyone go act blind, everyone go laugh, move on. A lot go pretend like say them no see am,” he lamented in a now widely shared post.
“Yorubas go reply back — suddenly, cry go full everywhere. Everyone go miraculously open eyes see say bigotry and tribalism dey air. E ni Jere.”
The phrase “E ni Jere” — loosely translating to “You won’t benefit from it” — has now become a rallying cry across platforms like X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Facebook, as Nigerians reflect on how ethnic bias and selective empathy are fueling divisions online and offline.
The post underscores a growing frustration among Nigerians, especially from the Southwest, who believe that Yoruba responses to online ethnic attacks are often held to a harsher standard than the initial provocation.
Critics argue that tribal slurs or insults from some Igbo individuals are often met with silence, laughter, or justification. But once a Yoruba person claps back, outrage, think pieces, and calls for peace suddenly flood the space.
“It’s the hypocrisy for me,” one user responded. “You can’t throw stones and hide your hand. If we’re going to condemn bigotry, let’s be fair and consistent.”
This isn’t the first time ethnic tensions have boiled over on Nigerian social media. During past elections, debates over political loyalty, regional development, and cultural identity often turned tribal — with Igbo-Yoruba tensions taking center stage.
But as more Nigerians begin to call out the double standards, conversations are slowly shifting toward mutual accountability.
“Bigotry is bigotry. Doesn’t matter who starts it or who ends it. Let’s stop enabling hate because it comes from ‘our side,’” said one peace advocate.
The man’s statement, though blunt, has opened the floodgates for a deeper conversation — not just about online behavior, but about how Nigeria’s multi-ethnic society handles conflict, identity, and the need for national unity.
“We can’t build a country on selective justice,” another user posted. “Either we call it out everywhere, or we’re all complicit.”
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