[This article is a public service]
Nigeria’s Igbo people continue to complain of being under-recognised, under-appreciated, marginalized and generally sidelined in the affairs of the nation – despite what they consider their hefty contributions to its socio-economic development.
As a result, they’ve agitated more intensely to actualize their own separate state – Biafra.
But the latest news about a Northern Youths declaration against them (which government has rightly taken swift action to quell) suggests Igbos continue to NOT earn the empathy of others in the Nigerian nation, for their cause.
Why is this so? Why does it seem that the other tribes “hate” Igbos so much?
I argue in this piece that the reason the Igbo seem to attract so much negative reactions from others for their cause, is because they fail to go about achieving their goals, using a strategy that American Jews have successfully employed, for decades, to make themselves a silently dominant force in America – and the world.
What do I mean by the foregoing statement?
I’ll tell you….
Most of the resentment against Igbos, even when they travel out to live and work in other countries (as I’ve found ou from travels to places like Ghana, Cameroon, Benin Republic) derives from the fact that majority (but certainly NOT all) of the them tend to think and act without EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE.
A key dimension of EI for succeeding in interpersonal interactions, is the ability to put yourself in other people’s shoes.
In other words, to be sensitive to the impact your words and actions can have on others around you. To be considerate in all your dealings so that others do not get the feeling you do not respect them.
[TIP: I’ve written several articles that explain various dimensions of what EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE entails – linked at the bottom of the post]
Chinua Achebe admitted as much in the quote below taken from a report in which he had correctly enumerated many Igbo traits that made them achieve rapid advancement relative to other tribes in the new Nigerian state, post independence.
Why Nigerians Hate Igbo By Chinua Achebe
“….Achebe, however, saved some criticisms for his kinsmen. He criticised them for what he described as “hubris, overweening pride and thoughtlessness, which invite envy and hatred or even worse that can obsess the mind with material success and dispose it to all kinds of crude showiness.” He added that “contemporary Igbo behavior(that) cab offend by its noisy exhibitionism and disregard for humility and quietness.”
Personally, I think the Igbo badly need to take notes – from AMERICAN JEWS – who have flourished for decades inspite of serious persecution, by SUBTLY and QUIETLY developing their full potential to achieve dominance in key areas of society without needlessly stirring up animosity and resentment from other social groups!
Igbos need to understand that acting with Emotional Intelligence in working to actualize your full potential, in a way that puts you ahead of others, is the key to succeeding in a win-win fashion, which makes others unlikely to be resentful of YOUR success!
Related Articles
1. [Recommended] Telltale Signs You’re Dealing With an Emotional Manipulator | SD Nuggets™
[Recommended] Telltale Signs You’re Dealing With an Emotional Manipulator
2. What Being Emotionally Intelligent Does Not Mean
http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Being-Emotionally-Intelligent-Does-Not-Mean&id=864816
3. Why Schools Need to Teach Emotional Intelligence [Hint: Your Success In Life – Academic Ability Matters LESS Than Your Emotional Intelligence]
4. A People’s Ability to Disagree Without Being Disagreeable is Crucial for Societal Advancement | Tayo Solagbade