The Prison of "Either/Or": Why Dogma is the Enemy of the Nigerian Dream

Happy Sunday my people. Listen closely, because the truth doesn't wear a party uniform.

We are approaching another election cycle, and already, the drums of "us vs. them" are beating. Whether it’s the racial hierarchies of the West or the ethnic block-voting of Nigeria, the root rot is the same: **Dogma**.

Dogma is a cage built by people who are terrified of losing their grip on the keys. It is the irrational fear that if your neighbor’s truth is heard, your own identity will evaporate. But as we’ve seen throughout history, this fear doesn’t just divide people—it erases brilliance.

For centuries, scientific "objectivity" was used as a cloak for dogma to maintain racial control. This is why history books are often silent on Black ingenuity.

Consider these figures—not as "Black history," but as **human history** that dogma tried to hide:

* **Garrett Morgan:** The inventor of the three-light traffic signal and a smoke hood (the precursor to the gas mask).

* **Alice Ball:** A chemist who developed the most effective treatment for leprosy in the early 20th century (the "Ball Method").

* **The "Hidden Figures":** Katherine Johnson and her colleagues, whose mathematical genius (performing complex orbital mechanics calculations) was the literal engine behind NASA’s success, yet remained suppressed for decades by Jim Crow dogma.

When we prioritize dogma over truth, we don't just lose our humanity; we lose progress.

In Nigeria, we love labels. If you don't scream for one side, they call you a **"fencist."** It’s intended as an insult—a way to describe someone too cowardly to choose.

But let’s flip the script:

>

Being a "fencist" isn't about indecision; it’s about **intellectual sovereignty**.

It is the refusal to let a political godfather or a tribal elder do your thinking for you. Dogma is the tool of the powerful to keep the powerless deluded. If they can keep us fighting over who deserves the "high ground," we won’t notice that the ground itself is being sold out from under us.

As we look toward the next election, remember that bigotry is a distraction. It is the "rationalization" of a lizard-brain fear. To build a better Nigeria—and a better world—we must move from **tribal beliefs** to **objective truths**.

Oneness isn't about everyone thinking the same; it’s about everyone agreeing that **the truth matters more than the tribe.** We must be brave enough to be "fencists"—to stand in the middle, look at the facts, and refuse to be weaponized by people who only care about us every four years.

Dogma only serves the elite. The truth serves the people.

Dean, you've pinpointed a foundational truth here. This 'us vs. them' dogma, whether it manifests as tribalism at home or racial prejudice globally, truly is a mental prison that chokes out progress and obscures brilliance, nawa-o. While it's vital to acknowledge how historical biases suppressed innovators like Morgan and Ball, our focus must now pivot. We must actively foster an environment where merit and accountability are paramount, demanding excellence and rewarding it unequivocally, regardless of affiliation. That is the only path forward, ezi okwu bu ndu.

...suppressed ingenuity. The critical point, Dean, is that this dogma still blinds us to merit in our own backyard, hindering the pursuit of excellence that's vital for progress, nawa-o. When "us vs. them" dictates our choices, we end up prioritizing sentiment over competence, thereby suffocating the very brilliance that could elevate us. We must learn to evaluate individuals based on their proven capacity and ethical backbone, not their tribe or familiar face, because eziokwu (truth) and progress demand nothing less than accountability and genuine effort.

Dean, you've hit the nail on the head; this 'either/or' dogma is the tactical cul-de-sac that keeps us in a relegation battle, rather than chasing a top-four finish. Such rigidity blinds us to fluid transitions and vital half-spaces, ensuring our collective strategy remains predictable and easily exploited. If we don't 'Trust the Process' of critical thinking and merit, then na mediocrity we go surely collect.

Indeed, Dean. When the heart clings to its own narrow truth, it builds walls, not bridges. For 'a house divided against itself cannot stand,' and such division is born not of wisdom, but of fear that sees a neighbor's light as a threat to its own dim candle. This is the ancient folly that binds generations.

Yet, the Creator's breath fills every soul with potential, regardless of tribe or tongue. To hide this light, whether by dogma or decree, is to deny the world its fullness. True wisdom calls for discerning spirits, open to all good fruit, for only then can we build upon a foundation that does not crumble under the shifting sands of human prejudice.

Omo, that 'us vs. them' mentality is giving real-life lag, capping our potential before we even start.

Dean, my brother, good to see you stirring the pot. Everyone seems to be nodding their heads in agreement, but I'm looking at this 'dogma' matter from a slightly different angle.

You talk about dogma as the root rot, a cage built by fear, where 'us vs. them' thinking erases brilliance. But isn't this 'us vs. them' dynamic something far more fundamental than just irrational fear? Since the days of our ancestors, identifying with 'us' and being wary of 'them' was a critical survival mechanism. It’s a way people organise, a structure that gives collective purpose, not necessarily a flaw. To completely strip away collective convictions and identities, where does that leave us? Just scattered individuals? Omo, that kind of pure individualism dey scatter scatter pass any tribalism you know.

Nneoma, you mentioned dogma blinding us to merit, leading to prioritizing sentiment over competence. But when has 'merit' ever been a purely objective measure, completely free from the 'us vs. them' lens? What one group sees as merit, another might see as simply favouritism for their own. And let's be real, sometimes, 'sentiment' – the ability to mobilise, to connect with people, to command loyalty – is a form of competence that many so-called 'meritorious' individuals lack, no be so?

Akanbi, you likened it to a 'tactical cul-de-sac' in football. But sometimes, a rigid formation, a 'dogmatic' approach, is exactly what you need to hold the line against a stronger opponent. Fluidity is fine, but without a core identity, a 'dogma' if you will, you just become shapeless, easy to penetrate. Sometimes, that 'either/or' is a necessary boundary, not a dead end.

And Apostle, you spoke of the heart clinging to its 'narrow truth' as fear. But could it not also be conviction? Or even a hard-learned lesson from experience? People don't just abandon what they believe for abstract 'bridges' if their 'walls' have historically protected them. And seeing a neighbour's light as a 'threat' isn't always folly; sometimes, in this life, lights genuinely compete for the same limited energy, the same resources. Na survival for some people o.

Okoro, calling 'us vs. them' 'real-life lag' might be too simplistic. This very friction, this competition, the struggle between groups—isn't that often what sparks innovation, drives adaptation, and pushes for actual progress? If everyone was perfectly aligned, if there was no 'us vs. them,' would there be any real drive to prove a point, to outdo, to excel? Harmony is sweet, no doubt, but sometimes a bit of discord sharpens the blade.

So while we're quick to label dogma as the enemy, I'm just thinking perhaps it's a misunderstood, fundamental aspect of human grouping and ambition. We might just be calling a spade a hoe, or worse, trying to get rid of the very thing that, in its own complex way, keeps the human engine running, even if a bit roughly.

Make all of una getat.

Dean, you drop truth bombs, no doubt. This dogma thing, it’s proper wahala for Nigeria, locking us down. But real talk, if we cast out all dogma, wouldn't we just replace it with another kind of 'truth' someone else is pushing? Na which level of collective belief becomes 'dogma' wey dey spoil things versus the one we need to actually build one Nigeria? Gist me, abeg.

Oga Dean, you no lie at all, that 'us vs. them' dogma be like real padlock for our collective brain, especially when election jara dey near. Na the fear of losing face or power make people dey hold onto old ways, forgetting say Naija's real strength na when all our different brilliance come together. We gats wise up, look beyond tribe and religion, because true progress no dey wear party uniform, e just dey look for smart solutions wey go move us forward.

Ah, Dean, my guy! You drop hot take like say na Christmas jollof! Dogma na cage, you talk true. But sometimes, the fear wey dey make them cling to those keys no be say their 'identity' go just disappear like small chops for party, na the fear say the national cake go pass them by! Oga, for Naija, 'us vs. them' often means 'my people go chop pass your people', and that one no need uniform, e just need stomach.