The recent constitutional proposal by Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu to redefine indigeneity in Nigeria—by granting indigene status to anyone who has resided in a state for ten years or married a native—has stirred national conversation. While some have hailed it as progressive and inclusive, a closer reading reveals a more insidious threat: the slow, legislative erosion of Nigeria’s federal character and the ancestral rights of its indigenous nations.
A recent and brilliant submission titled ‘A Yoruba Perspective on Hon. Kalu’s Indigene Bill and Igbo Political Ideology’ by Julius Afolabi rightly situates this bill within a broader ideological trajectory—one that stretches back to the unitarist ambitions of Nnamdi Azikiwe, through the centralizing fiat of Ironsi’s Decree No. 34, and now resurfaces under the guise of inclusivity.
As a Yoruba-Nigerian, I see this bill not as a harmless administrative suggestion, but as a constitutional Trojan horse. It is a quiet revival of a failed dream: the erasure of Nigeria’s federal foundations and the imposition of a homogenized national identity that suits the strategic interests of a few at the expense of the many.
Let us be clear: Nigeria is not a tabula rasa. It is not a blank space awaiting ideological inscription. It is a deeply historic and culturally rich mosaic of nations—the Yoruba, the Hausa, the Igbo, the Ijaw, the Tiv, the Kanuri, and so many others—each with their own ancient traditions, sacred geographies, and political identities. To legislate away indigeneity is to desecrate that heritage.
Hon. Kalu’s proposal is not about equity. It is about access to power. It is not about integration. It is about territorial influence. It is not about national unity. It is about ideological conquest—through bureaucracy, not bullets.
This tactic is not new. It mirrors a long-standing strategy where historical grievances are repackaged as progressive policy. Where the call for inclusion masks the thirst for domination. Where the same actors who demand secession when it suits them, turn around to seek full access to the lands and political rights of others when advantageous.
This is not just contradictory. It is duplicitous.
You cannot push for a separate nation in one breath and legislate for equal indigene rights in another. That is not federalism—it is ideological colonization. And it must be called out as such.
Yoruba people are not xenophobic. We are historically one of the most accommodating ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. But accommodation does not mean dispossession. Hospitality is not surrender. Inclusion should not mean extinction.
To be Yoruba is not just to speak a language or live in a region. It is to belong to a sacred lineage, to be bound by ancestral duty, to inhabit a spiritual geography that predates colonial Nigeria by centuries. You do not become Yoruba by leasehold or legal fiat. Indigeneity is not earned by marriage or residency—it is passed down by blood, memory, and spiritual inheritance.
The bill must be opposed—not just by the Yoruba, but by all indigenous nationalities who value self-determination, cultural integrity, and historical truth.
Let us remember: the American model of citizenship cannot be blindly transposed onto Nigeria. America was formed by immigrants and settlers. Nigeria was formed by nations. We are not a melting pot—we are a federation of distinct peoples. And that federation must be defended.
The 1954 Constitution understood this. The regional structure respected it. Ironsi’s Decree betrayed it. The Civil War mourned it. Are we really ready to gamble with those ghosts again?
The consequences of this bill—if passed—will not be civic harmony, but constitutional chaos. It will fuel ethnic resentment, legal ambiguity, and ultimately, another round of national fragmentation.
Let history not repeat itself.
Nigeria’s peace lies not in homogenization, but in honest pluralism. In mutual respect—not forced assimilation. In recognizing that unity must begin with justice, and justice begins with respect for origin.
The Yoruba, and indeed all indigenous nations of Nigeria, must rise to resist this quiet conquest—before our lands, our rights, and our histories are voted away in the name of unity.
We say with clarity and conviction: this bill must fail.
Femi Adefemiwa is an intellectual, author, and global socio-political critic. He currently serves as General Secretary of The Yoruba Initiative and resides in New York City. He can be reached at jerome.adefemiwa@gmail.com.
Postscript
Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, introduced the Indigene Status Bill (HB. 2057) on February 6, 2025, during its first reading. The bill seeks to amend the Constitution to grant indigene status to individuals who have resided in a state for at least ten years or are married to a native. It passed its second reading on March 26, 2025.
