Word: tribalized
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...July 7 a federal attack on Biafra plunged the country into civil war. Nervous African leaders know that no African state was better prepared for independence, and they know that no African state is immune to the problems which beat Nigeria to its knees--those of a tribal society confronting modernization. They are hoping Nigeria will stand again...
Sadly, the Federal government has failed to soothe tribal hatreds. Many observers feel that some minimal concessions to the Ibos after last year's catastrophic riots would have preserved the Federation. But the federal government lacked the flexibility to use this fleeting opportunity...
...that time, a wave of fear sent Nigerians of all tribes scuttling back to their home territories, and forced the de facto partition of Nigeria into three tribal states--Yoruba West, Hausa North, and Ibo East. The largest group of refugees were 1.8 million Ibos from the North, many badly injured. Enraged, the Ibos demanded federal compensation of the injured and homeless. To prevent a repitition of the atrocities, they also called for the de jure recognition of Nigeria's partition--in the form of a confederation of almost autonomous states. They threatened to secede if the Federal Government...
...confederate plan seemed--and still seems--the only way to permit tribal hatreds to cool and perhaps pave the way for a real accomodation later. But Gowon did not budge, and Nigeria foundered. Now, as federal troops plod through the Biafran jungles, Nigeria still has not drawn up a viable plan for reunification...
Another factor seems to account for the federal deficiency. Nigeria's Oxford-educated elite made the tribal group their power base, appealing to ethnic sentiments rather than issues. Surely, they eased their own way to power; but Nigeria paid dearly. Tribal divisions were institutionalized in government. Leaders found their maneuverability fatally limited. Thus, Gowon, as a northern general, owed his office to Hausa support. He heeded their opposition to the confederate plan, even though his stand jeopardized an equitable sentiment...