By Pascal Oparada
On Tuesday, May 22, 2018, the hashtag, #FineYorubaTwitter was fiercely trending on Twitter. The success of the hashtag was very intense. Not long after, #FineIgboTwitter began to trend at an almost equal intensity.
Although there have been other variations of the two hashtags, none was as successful. The first two hashtags define the rivalry between the two ethnic tribes in Nigeria.
Many believe there is an uncommunicative rivalry going between the Igbo and the Yoruba. The stats are staggering.
The two ethnic tribes make up the most educated populace in Nigeria. The Yoruba once boasted of having the highest number of professors in the country. The Igbo also have well-trained scholars.
The two tribes boast of having some of the richest men and women in Nigeria. There are no reports to substantiate this. Aside, Lagos the development happening in the two zones are almost neck and neck.
So, when one of Nigeria’s telecommunications network, Airtel Nigeria rolled out its campaign, Meet the In-Laws, many were quick to see that the campaign sought to ignite a long-held feud between the two ethnic groups in the country.
The advert which was patterned almost like the ‘Amin’ campaign, featured Yoruba Actress, Idowu Philips popularly called Iya Rainbow, Dele Odule and Nollywood act, Ngozi Nwosu sees the families becoming in-law When their two children, Amaka and Segun played by Abdullateef Adedimeji got married and had their first child.
To keep the two families satisfied on the day of the christening, Segun had to provide enough and equal access to the internet in the house. Everything else in the house must be equally satisfactory.
The battle for who would outshine the other happened when Mama Amaka arrived with a retinue. Iya Rainbow’s face at the arrival of Mama Amaka tells of the repulsion. It shows all is not well.
As is customary, Mama Amaka took the child.
“Selfie time,” she bellowed. The crowd surged towards her.
Not wanting to be left in the lurch, Iya Segun took out a tablet.
“Selifie time,” Iya Segun shouted in broken English and the followed it up with a signal to the almost unwilling guests to join her as they did to Mama Amaka.
Many see the advert as a cohesive force which seeks to unite the two tribes by the marriage of their children. They believe it has further blurred the lines of unhealthy rivalry between them.
But the intermarriages between the two tribes is not new. What is and would be new is the cohesion. Hardly.
The Igbo rarely allow their children to marry outside Igboland. The Yoruba believe in the outdated notion that the Igbo are cannibals and patriarchal.
So, when Airtel Nigeria began the campaign, many believed it has brought to the fore the almost forgotten competition.
Just imagine when the two women were going up the stairs where their children lived. The shoving and shouting.
Even though Airtel Nigeria has not responded to the inquiry sent to them by TheNiche, which sought to know the idea behind the campaign, many believe it is delivered the message but in a rather queer way.
