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Wednesday, March 1, 2017

#MANYROOTSONEPEOPLE HAUSA TRIBE

Hi everyone, I trust you are doing great.

Today I shall be introducing you to the Hausa tribe. I have always admired the Hausa language, personally I think it's the sexiest language in the country. The Hausa language is actually the most widely spoken in Africa with over 41 million people speaking it as a first language. Although the Hausas have an overwhelming influence on Northern Nigeria, they are predominantly from the North-West.




Map of Hausa


The Hausa people can trace their origins from around the 7th century to Daura and their ancestry to Bayajidda. There were originally 7 Hausa states Daura, Kano, Katsina, Zaria, Gobir, Rano and Biram. The states drew on each others strengths particularly with regards their skill sets and natural resources. Kano and Rano were the cloth and leather makers, Katsina and Daura were the Chiefs of the Market, Zaria which supplied labor was the Chief of Slaves, and Gobir was the Chief of War which protected the empire.





Daura Palace

The Hausa architecture was one of the most beautiful of the 12th century, it comprised bright and colorful buildings with intricate engraving or elaborate symbols designed into the facade.





Sultan of Sokoto



The Hausa's are predominantly Muslims by religion and regard the Sultan of Sokoto as their spiritual leader. The Hausa aristocracy have historically been an equestrian based culture, and this culture still remains till date. The Hausa Monarchs are known as Emirs.

Emir of Kano













Hausa Baban Riga
The Hausa people have a restricted dress code related to their religious belief. The men wear an elaborate long flowing dress known as the Baban rigga and a long flowing robe called the Jalamia, The men also wear colorful embroided caps known as Hula, and sometimes tuareg styled turbans to veil the face. 


Hausa Zani

The women wear wrappers called Zani, made with colorful atampa cloth and a matching blouse, head-tie and shawl. The Hausas were known historically for their indigo blue dressings and emblems as well as Arabian horses or Saharan camels.














In modern days it  is very difficult to separate the Hausas from the Fulanis, but we shall be discussing this in my subsequent post.
















Wednesday, February 22, 2017

#MANYROOTSONEPEOPLE - IGBO TRIBE


Igbo War Dance



The Igbo ethnic tribe can be found in predominantly in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria, they are dominant in Abia, Imo, Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi states, they also occupy some parts of Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, Edo, Benue and Kogi States. The River Niger is a key feature in the Igbo Land.







The Igbo's have been around since as early as 4500 BC, with the Igbo Kingdom of Nri gaining prominence in the 10th century. The Igbo tribe is surrounded by the Ijaw, Edo, Isoko, Ogoni, Igala, Tiv, Yako, Idoma and Ibibio ethnic tribes.




The Igbo language is the primary language spoken by the Igbos and has over 20 dialects. There are approximately 32 million Igbo people around the world about 18% of Nigeria's population. 
The Igbo's from time have been very industrious people with ancient trade routes spreading as far as Mecca, Medina and Jeddah. This industrious nature still exists among the Igbo people.


Obi of Onitsha


The Igbos live in villages and communities that sometimes span into thousands in population, with the exception of a few kingdoms like Onitsha which had an Obi and Nri presided over by a Priest King; the Ibos generally practiced a democratic republican system of government in which every citizen had equal rights. These communities were presided over by a council of elders. 










Yam is a very important crop to the Igbos and to this extent they celebrate The New Yam festival as a mark of harvest.

New Yam Festival











Igbo Bride

The Igbos have a unique dress sense, Modern Igbo traditional attire is generally made up, for men, of the Isiagu top. Isiagu is usually patterned with lions heads embroidered over the clothing, It can also be plain. It is worn with trousers and can be worn with either a traditional title holders hat (okpu agu or agwu), or with the traditional Igbo stripped men's hat. The women on the other hand had on a blouse or a wrapper with beads.



Igbo Men











Sunday, February 19, 2017

#MANYROOTSONEPEOPLE - YORUBA TRIBE

Hi everyone, in line with our promise to share our journey with you we have decided to bring you the tribes as we discover them. The first tribe we are going to feature is the Yoruba tribe: 





The Yoruba ethnic tribe is the most populous tribe in Nigeria, making up 21% of the country's population. According to the CIA world fact book there are an estimated 40 million Yoruba people around the world. The Yoruba people can be found in the south west of Nigeria, they are dominant in Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi states among others.




Ooni of Ife
Alaafin of Oyo

There is recorded history of the Yorubas as far back as the 8th century. Ile-Ife in Osun State is the spiritual capital of the Yorubas, while Oyo in Oyo state is the political capital. The Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin of Oyo are the respective rulers. 






The major language spoken by the Yoruba people is Yoruba, the Yoruba language in itself has many dialects as can be found across the Yoruba land. The dialects include: Oyo, Igbomina, Okun, Ijebu, Iseyin, Owu, Ibolo, Awori, Yewa, Ekiti, Ijesa, Ilorin, Akoko, Ilaje, Ife, Egun.

Aso-Oke (Alaari)
Adire

The Yorubas are fashion savvy and have a variety of clothing, Aso-Oke which comes in Alaari, Sanyan and Etu; Ofi, Aran and Adire. The women are dressed mainly in Iro and Buba whilst the men can be seen in Agbada amongst several variations.










The Yorubas have a very rich culture with several festivals which include the Osun-Oshogbo festival, Ojude-Oba, Eyo festival to mention a few. 

Ojude Oba Festival
Osun Osogbo Festival

Fun Fact: The Yoruba constitute the highest twinning rate in the world with 4.4% of all live births or 90-100 twins in every 1000 births. Igbo-Ora in Oyo State has been nicknamed the Twin Capital of the world with almost every family lineage boasting of a set of twins.


Yoruba twins

Please kindly feel free to contribute to this post through your comments, thank you.

Friday, February 17, 2017

IT'S A MATTER OF TRUST



Good day everyone, it's been a while I last wrote. Been quite preoccupied.


So this morning I was thinking about our dear nation Nigeria, and some thoughts struck me as to why we still don't speak with one voice as a nation.


I observed that there is a serious dearth of trust in our nation, 
The People do not trust The Government,
The Government doesn't trust the People,
The people do not trust The People and even The Government doesn't trust The Government.

So then begs the question of "How do we move when we cannot trust the direction we are headed?", Can such a movement even be possible?

Any policy is immediately deemed suspicious and shut down or frustrated, and even when the steps have been taken; immediately there is a change we are driven back to the start line to begin our journey afresh. Thus we have been going back and forth, back and forth, plenty motion no movement.



  
I believe that as a matter of urgency, we all need to rediscover the much needed trust that is a prerequisite to growth, and one of the most effective ways of building that trust is via communication. As in the case of courtship, a man and woman build trust towards their lasting relationships via communication. In this same vein the Government needs to urgently begin to intensify its communication with the people. Look at it this way, in this relationship, the Government is the man, and the people the woman. It is the duty of the man (Government) to convince the woman (The people) to follow his path for life. If he fails he loses the woman. So also if the Government fails to convince the People, it would lose out. The woman also in most cases helps the man by guiding his communication process, which means even the People can guide the Government's actions.
(Note that this same principles apply to every thing you do in life be it business or private life).



Communication is mutual, if you are speaking French and I am speaking English we aren't communicating yet, we need to devise a mutual and common means to enable the other party understand for communication to occur, communication is complete when the other party issues a feedback.





My direct message to all, let us all put heads together to develop a means of proper and effective communication between the people and the government such that we can understand clearly what direction we are headed as a nation and we can rebuild the much needed trust lacking in our quest for a united Nigerian nation.













Thursday, February 2, 2017

COLLECTIVE WILLPOWER

So today, a fundamental life principle was reinforced within me;


The Power of a Collective Willpower...

My brother/friend went missing and through the collective willpower, efforts and prayers of fellow friends and family the odds were upturned as he was found speedily.



The Tower of Babel (Bable)
When men decided through a collective will to build the Tower of Babel, the only means God could use to stop them was by causing confusion among them (breaking their collective willpower), as interesting as that story was during Sunday school, it remains one of the most powerful success keys of life.


 
If a 3 cord strand is not easily broken, then how much more a 370 cord strand...



Our nation Nigeria is dying, and the only way to save it is to unite behind a collective will and purpose. If everyone of us were to dedicate just a 30% Willpower towards healing our nation we would definitely see changes in no time, and our efforts would become contagious.

We need to decide to take conscious efforts towards creating a Nigeria we would all be proud of.


You can start by taking this steps today (it may seem silly but trust me it works):

1. Close your eyes for a bit and try to visualize how you want Nigeria to be,
2. Summarize that which you just saw (pictured) in a sentence,
3. Write it out
4. Paste it on your social media pages with the hashtag #mydreamnigeria
5. Repeat Step 4 daily for the next 60 days (please this step is very important, don't miss a day)
6. Paste it on your mirror or wardrobe and confess that which you have written down daily for the next 60 days (it should just take a minute)



Do this diligently and you'll see inspiration and transformation hit the nation.





The Power of the Mind



The mind is the single most powerful tool available to Man, we have consciously or subconsciously been attracting negative thoughts on our nation, it is time to reverse this.


Please join us heal our nation by taking part in the exercise above #mydreamnigeria







Wednesday, February 1, 2017

JOINT VISION

I just heard this evening that a friend and a gentle soul has been missing since monday. He apparently just stepped out of his house in surulere without his phone and hasn't been seen since then. Sometime last week or perhaps over the weekend I saw pictures of a birthday girl and her sister on social media who were declared missing in abuja.
When would we end this madness?
When would we grow tired of this craziness?
You may think you aren't involved afterall you're making the small change with which you and your family are surviving, but then you would be mistaken because soon enough the poor would have nothing to eat but the rich, The desperate would overtake our streets and no one would be safe.
Please everyone sheath your swords let us find a common ground for the sake of our nation. There is no place like home, ask those in the diaspora, they are comfortable yet they miss home.
All this selfishness would lead us to nowhere, let us have a collective vision for our nation. The growing insecurity is a failure of government, not a failure of PMB or of GEJ, but our collective failure as a people, afterall the government has always come from within us.
When would we let the scales drop off our eyes that we may see beyond all the pettiness being thrown at us. The time to wake up is NOW!!! because we are gradually approaching that point of no return. We have one last chance to salvage the situation. STOP complaining and start doing, STOP criticizing and start proffering solutions, STOP watching and start acting, STOP keeping quiet and start speaking. This is the last chance.
As for the youth, nobody would give you leadership positions, you need to take it. Not violently but through the right means. WE have the numbers, WE have the vigor the only thing stopping us is US. sheath your swords, forget PMB, forget GEJ, forget APC, forget PDP. LEt us come together as Nigerians and forge our future Together. Get ANGRY and let us secure our future, they would soon die and we would be the ones left. And there may be no future if we do not act now.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

True Identity

Good Day everyone, join me in saying


  • "NIGERIA IS NO MISTAKE, MISTAKES DON'T SURVIVE A HUNDRED YEARS"
  • "I WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE UNITY, PEACE AND GROWTH OF NIGERIA; SO HELP ME GOD"


Welcome once again,

Flawed Ethnic Map Representation of Nigeria



Igbo Land Map
So I read a Facebook comment thread today which reinforced the need for us to actualize the National Portrait project. This young man shouting Biafra Biafra was actually of the opinion that the South-south especially Rivers state was an Ibo land, not knowing that the South-south is comprised of more than 50 ethnic tribes, Rivers state alone has about 8 tribes. Similarly Adamawa is often mistaken as an Hausa state when in truth it is made up of over 50 ethnic tribes.
Ethnic Tribes of Delta State
                 
 






Tribal Map of Nigeria
My question is this; how do we begin to work together when we do not even know one another, I mean if you resume a new job the first thing they do is to give you an induction, introduce you to your co-workers, then you can begin to forge lasting relationships that improve efficiency.


For so long we have erroneously simplified Nigeria to 3 tribes, Yoruba, Hausa, and Ibo. 
That ain’t right, 
How do you round down 370 tribes to just 3, how do the remaining 367 tribes identify and integrate properly with the nation? 
Not forgetting in doing this we are also robbing ourselves (and these tribes) of cultural relevance, there is beauty in diversity. 

Imagine how curious the world (tourists) would be to hear that Nigeria has 370 unique ethnic tribes who have lived together for over a century as a nation, the curiosity should drive tourism, people the world over should want to come and experience this cultural magic firsthand.




 I mean how do you even begin to assimilate 370 tribes/cultures, the rich heritage attached to each one from Nupe to Ibibio’s to gwandarawa to the yakurr… too numerous too rich… 

Our cultural diversity is a tourism product the world needs to see, infact we should have a National Culture Day whereby every Nigerian dresses up in traditional attire to celebrate and appreciate one another’s culture not the skewed WaZoBia culture system but a holistic cultural carnival.





Ethnic Spread 
We must do this; we must identify ALL the pieces of our nation Nigeria’s puzzle, which in my opinion is the first step towards actualizing our true unity.

PLEASE comment with your NAME and TRIBE, help me identify the tribes... Thank you

Below is a list of ethnic tribes and states where they may be found, the list isn't accurate and you can help me correct it where there may be errors. Thank you.



TRIBE STATE
1 Eket Akwa-Ibom
2 Anang Akwa-Ibom
3 Ibeno Akwa-Ibom
4 Ibibio Akwa-Ibom
5 Okobo Akwa-Ibom
6 Oron Akwa-Ibom
7 Andoni Akwa-Ibom
8 Akweya-Yachi Benue
9 Egede Benue
10 Etilo Benue
11 Ufia Benue
12 Utonkong Benue
13 Yalla Benue
14 Tiv Benue
15 Idoma Benue
16 Jukun Benue
17 Bini Edo
18 Ishan Edo
19 Etsako Edo
20 Etuno Edo
21 Okphameri Edo
22 Owan Edo
23 Uneme Edo
24 Ebu Edo
25 Igbira Kogi
26 Bunu Kogi
27 Gbede Kogi
28 Igalla Kogi
29 Ijumu Kogi
30 Ogori Kwara
31 Owe Kwara
32 Oworo Kwara
33 Yagba Kwara
34 Isoko Delta
35 Itsekiri Delta
36 Kwale Delta
37 Urhobo Delta
38 Izondjo Delta
39 Achipawa Kebbi
40 Dandawa Kebbi
41 Dukawa Kebbi
42 Zarmawa Kebbi
43 Kambari Kebbi
44 Reshe Kebbi
45 Affade Yobe
46 Bade Yobe
47 Buru Yobe
48 Chibok Yobe
49 Mangawa Yobe
50 Ngizim Yobe
51 Abua Rivers
52 Degema Rivers
53 Ebana Rivers
54 Egbema Rivers
55 Engenni Rivers
56 Epie Rivers
57 Etche Rivers
58 Gokana Rivers
59 Chinine Borno
60 Dghwede Borno
61 Gamergu-Mulgawa Borno
62 Gavako Borno
63 Gwoza Borno
64 Kanembu Borno
65 Mandara Borno
66 Mobber Borno
67 Higi Borno
68 Buduma Borno
69 Attakar Kaduna
70 Ayu Kaduna
71 Bina Kaduna
72 Gure Kaduna
73 Jaba (Ham) Kaduna
74 Kafanchan Kaduna
75 Kagoro Kaduna
76 Kaje (Bajju) Kaduna
77 Kajuru (Adara) Kaduna
78 Kanikon Kaduna
79 Katab (atyap) Kaduna
80 Kiballo Kaduna
81 Manchok Kaduna
82 Moruwa Kaduna
83 Rishuwa Kaduna
84 Rumada Kaduna
85 Rumaya Kaduna
86 Surubu Kaduna
87 Kanufi Kaduna
88 Kamaku Kaduna
89 Ninzam Kaduna
90 Nunku Kaduna
91 Uncinda Kaduna
92 Bassa Kaduna
93 Koro Kaduna
94 Gwari Kaduna
95 Gwandara Kaduna
96 Mada Kaduna
97 Auyokawa Jigawa
98 Warjawa (Warji) Jigawa, Bauchi
99 Kurama (akurmi) Jigawa, Kaduna
100 Adim Cross River
101 Adun Cross River
102 Agbo Cross River
103 Akaju-Ndem (Akajuk ) Cross River
104 Anyima Cross River
105 Bachere Cross River
106 Bahumono Cross River
107 Bekwarra Cross River
108 Bette Cross River
109 Boki (Nki) Cross River
110 Efik Cross River
111 Ejagham Cross River
112 Ekajuk Cross River
113 Ekoi Cross River
114 Etung Cross River
115 Ododop (Korop) Cross River
116 Ikorn Cross River
117 Abayon Cross River
118 Iyala Cross River
119 Mbube Cross River
120 Nkim Cross River
121 Nkum Cross River
122 Olulumo Cross River
123 Qua Cross River
124 Ukelle Cross River
125 Uyanga Cross River
126 Yache Cross River
127 Mbembe Cross River
128 Yakurr (Yako) Cross River
129 Afizerre Plateau
130 Afo Plateau
131 Alago (Arago) Plateau
132 Amo Plateau
133 Anaguta Plateau
134 Ankwei Plateau
135 Bada Plateau
136 Bashiri Plateau
137 Birom Plateau
138 Bkkos Plateau
139 Buji Plateau
140 Burma Plateau
141 Bwall Plateau
142 Challa Plateau
143 Chip Plateau
144 Chokobo Plateau
145 Doemak(Dumak) Plateau
146 Miango Plateau
147 Eggon Plateau
148 Fyam (Fyem) Plateau
149 Fyer (Fer) Plateau
150 Qanawuri Plateau
151 Geruma Plateau
152 Goernai Plateau
153 Gusu Plateau
154 Irigwe Plateau
155 Jidda-abu Plateau
156 Kantana Plateau
157 Kenern (Koenoem) Plateau
158 Kulere (Kaler) Plateau
159 Kwalla Plateau
160 Kwaro Plateau
161 Kwato Plateau
162 Mabo Plateau
163 MamaMemyang Plateau
164 Miligili (Migili) Plateau
165 Montol Plateau
166 Munga (Mupang) Plateau
167 Mushere Plateau
168 Mwaghavul Plateau
169 Nokere (Nakere) Plateau
170 Pai Plateau
171 Pyapun (piapung) Plateau
172 Rindire Plateau
173 Ron Plateau
174 Rukuba Plateau
175 Shangawa Plateau
176 Shan-shan Plateau
177 Sikdi Plateau
178 Sura Plateau
179 Yergan (Yergum) Plateau
180 Yuom Plateau
181 Tarok Plateau
182 Shirawa Kano
183 Teshenawa Kano
184 Hausa Kano
185 Kyengawa Sokoto
186 Shangawa Sokoto
187 Pulani (Pulbe) Sokoto
188 Yoruba
189 Awori
190 Egun
191 Baruba (Barba) Niger
192 Baushi Niger
193 Boko (Bussawa) Niger
194 Gade Niger
195 Gurmana Niger
196 Laaru (Larawa) Niger
197 Lopawa (Lupa) Niger
198 Nupe Niger
199 Pongo (Pongu) Niger
200 Rubu Niger
201 Ura (Ula) Niger
202 Yumu Niger
203 Zabara Niger
204 Dakarkari Niger
205 Bakulung Taraba
206 Bali Taraba
207 Bambuko Taraba
208 Bandawa Taraba
209 Betso (Bete) Taraba
210 Bobua Taraba
211 Chamba Taraba
212 Chukkol Taraba
213 Dangsa Taraba
214 Diba Taraba
215 Gengle Taraba
216 Gornun (Gmun) Taraba
217 Gonia Taraba
218 Gwom Taraba
219 Jahunawa Taraba
220 Jero Taraba
221 Jonjo (Jenjo) Taraba
222 Potopo Taraba
223 Sakbe Taraba
224 Sate Taraba
225 Shomo Taraba
226 Wurkun Taraba
227 Yandang Taraba
228 Yott Taraba
229 Kabawa Taraba
230 Kadara Taraba
231 Karimjo Taraba
232 Kenton Taraba
233 Koma Taraba
234 
Mambilla Taraba
235 Kugama Taraba
236 Kunini Taraba
237 Kuteb Taraba
238 Kutin Taraba
239 Kwanchi Taraba
240 Lama Taraba
241 Lamja Taraba
242 Lau Taraba
243 Mbum Taraba
244 Mumuye Taraba
245 Ndoro Taraba
246 Nyangdang Taraba
247 Panyam Taraba
248 Pkanzom Taraba
249 Poll Taraba
250 Tikar Taraba
251 Vommi Taraba
252 Waka Taraba
253 Bamborawa Bauchi
254 Bankalawa Bauchi
255 Barawa Bauchi
256 Barke Bauchi
257 Belewa (Buli) Bauchi
258 Bomawa (Burmano) Bauchi
259 Bomboro Bauchi
260 Buli Bauchi
261 Burak Bauchi
262 Butawa Bauchi
263 Chamawa (Fitilai) Bauchi
264 Chamo Bauchi
265 Dadiya Bauchi
266 Daza (Derewa) Bauchi
267 Deno (Denawa) Bauchi
268 Limono Bauchi
269 Karaikarai Bauchi
270 Ngamo Bauchi
271 Ouguri Bauchi
272 Dumawa Bauchi
273 Galambi Bauchi
274 Geji Bauchi
275 Gerawa (Gere) Bauchi
276 Gerumawa Bauchi
277 Gingwak Bauchi
278 Gubi (Gubawa) Bauchi
279 Gururntum Bauchi
280 Gyem Bauchi
281 Jaku Bauchi
282 Jara (Jarawa) Bauchi
283 Jimbinawa Bauchi
284 Kamo Bauchi
285 Kariya Warji Bauchi
286 Zaranda Bauchi
287 Zayam (Zeam) Bauchi
288 Zulawa Bauchi
289 Jere (Jera) Bauchi
290 Kirfawa Bauchi
291 Kubawa (Kubi) Bauchi
292 Kudachano (Kudawa) Bauchi
293 Kushi Bauchi
294 Kwami (Kwom) Bauchi
295 Miyawa Bauchi
296 Ningi (Ningawa) Bauchi
297 Pa'awa (Pa'a) Bauchi
298 Pero Bauchi
299 Polchi Habe Bauchi
300 Rebinawa Bauchi
301 Sanga Bauchi
302 Sayawa Bauchi
303 Seegidi (Segidawa) Bauchi
304 Siri (Sirawa) Bauchi
305 Tangale Bauchi
306 Tula Bauchi
307 Waja Bauchi
308 Terawa Bauchi
309 Angas Bauchi
310 Bolewa Bauchi
311 Kwankwa Bauchi
312 Bachama Adamawa
313 Banso Adamawa
314 Batta Adamawa
315 Baya Adamawa
316 Bilei Adamawa
317 Botlere Adamawa
318 Bura Adamawa
319 Bwatiye Adamawa
320 Bwazza Adamawa
321 Daba Adamawa
322 Daka Adamawa
323 Palli Adamawa
324 Gaánda Adamawa
325 Gira Adamawa
326 Gizigz Adamawa
327 Gombi Adamawa
328 Margi Adamawa
329 Ndhang Adamawa
330 Shuwa Adamawa
331 Gude Adamawa
332 Gudu Adamawa
333 Gwa (Gurawa) Adamawa
334 Gwamba Adamawa
335 Holma Adamawa
336 Hona Adamawa
337 Ichen Adamawa
338 Jibu Adamawa
339 Jirai Adamawa
340 Kaka Adamawa
341 Kambu Adamawa
342 Kilba Adamawa
343 Kurdul Adamawa
344 Lakka Adamawa
345 Lala Adamawa
346 Ubbo Adamawa
347 
Kona Adamawa
348 Ngweshe Adamawa
349 Babur Adamawa
350 Matakarn Adamawa
351 Mbol Adamawa
352 Mbula Adamawa
353 Muchaila Adamawa
354 Mundang Adamawa
355 Njayi Adamawa
356 Pire Adamawa
357 Sukur Adamawa
358 Teme Adamawa
359 Tigon Adamawa
360 Tur Adamawa
361 Vemgo Adamawa
362 Verre Adamawa
363 Wagga Adamawa
364 Wula Adamawa
365 Wurbo Adamawa
366 Yungur Adamawa
367 Longuda (Lunguda) Adamawa
368 Kanakuru (Dera) Adamawa
369 Ibo
370 Fulani

Saturday, January 28, 2017

The First Chapter


Good day everyone, family and friends. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you our project for 2017; as it stands I cannot execute it successfully without your collective help because it is a national project in which we all have a role to play. I am a passionate die-hard unrepentant Nigerian patriot whose vision is to help build a United and Patriotic Nigerian nation as I believe this is the only way Nigeria can truly move forward.

Efik 
This vision led to the birthing of the Many Roots One People campaign, a campaign which aims to erase all divisive lines that have held us back as a people (ethnic lines, religious lines, political lines, etc.) and replace this with one LINE, the Patriotic line. As we say “Nigeria is no mistake, mistakes do not survive 100 years” and also “the diversity of our nation is the beauty of its perfection”. In line with this mandate we would be creating a National monument; a national symbol of unity which I have tagged “The National Portrait”.



The National Portrait is a portrait of all the 370 tribes in Nigeria; it is a photo collage of a male and female model in the traditional attires of each tribe.
The reason we are using same faces to represent each tribe is to drive home the #manyrootsonepeople message (it doesn’t matter what tribe you’re from, we are one and the same). 
Once completed we shall be unveiling the National Portrait to the world in Abuja in front of dignitaries from different walks of life, the tentative date for this is May 21st 2017, which is the international day for diversity. 
After the unveiling we shall be presenting the National Portrait to the Presidency or Senate for ratification as a National Monument.





As you can see this is an enormous task, but it isn’t impossible especially when we work on it collectively.

Bini

We would need your help in the following ways:

  1. Gathering of information on the various tribes: we need to verify the facts on each tribe especially with regards the traditional attires. We would be opening a thread where you can help us identify the tribes, upload pictures of the respective traditional attires and suggest where or how we can acquire the said attires.
  2.  Funding: the project is rather capital intensive, we have a modest budget of N9.4million which covers costume, accessories, props, makeup, professional fees of photographers, models & make-up artiste, production of Portrait, logistics etc. In order to raise the needed funds we shall be employing crowd funding strategy, this way everybody can play a part. In the coming days I shall be unveiling how you can specifically contribute financially towards the project as well as promote it within your circle (we have included some perks for contributors).
  3. Spreading the word: we would also like you to help us build a worldwide following for this project. Since we intend for it to be a symbol of national unity, we need to create awareness around the project which you can help us spread through your social media networks.
  4. Nupe Women
  5. You can also volunteer directly to be a part of this project, for this we require passionate patriotic volunteers who would help drive this project with their skills and time. Either by sharing ideas that would aid execution; or promoting it on social or contemporary media; or linking us with persons of interest; or any other means you believe you can step in.






Kanuri Children

Over the next couple of days and weeks I shall be putting up updates on the project, please kindly look out for this. I look forward to making history with you even as we build our Nation together in unity.


Thank you for your time.

OJO Olanrewaju