Last week, the Presidency announced that Remi Tinubu, the First Lady of Nigeria, had come up with the bright idea of having a national unity fabric worn nationwide to celebrate the country’s independence on October 1. This news has caused quite a stir online so I thought I’d add extra context to help Nigerians understand why this isn’t a bad idea.
First of all, it’s important to know that Remi has a thing for sustainability and resourcefulness (I know this because she started her own farm to solve Nigeria’s food insecurity problem), so the idea that this fabric was just a show of insensitivity to Nigerian’s plight is not entirely true.
Now, here are the real reasons why the First Lady came up with this idea:
Reduce tribalism in Nigeria
You might think it’s ironic for someone whose husband centered his entire campaign around tribal differences (with slogans like “Yoruba L’okan,” or “It’s Yoruba’s turn” in English) but should the sins of a man be taken out on his wife?
If the First Lady says she’s trying to unite the country with the national aso-ebi, then allow her.
Bring back corsets/snatched waists
The country has not been the same since women started wearing fewer corset dresses. Some Nigerians may argue that this isn’t a matter of national concern but I disagree and the First Lady disagrees too. I want to see snatched waists and a united Nigeria.
Promote “wear Nigerian” culture
It’s okay when X folks use the hashtag #WearNigerian but it’s not okay when the First Lady does the same? Maybe you’re the problem. In case you didn’t know, a Nigerian designer called Mofinyinfoluwa Bamidele designed the fabric and it’s mass-produced by local manufacturers in Kano and Lagos too.
Start a new culture of celebration
The last time Nigerians went all out to celebrate Independence Day was probably 1960. Wouldn’t it be a shame to have a Yoruba woman as First Lady and not have a national owambe?
Help Nigerian tailors get their bags
The last time your tailor ate good was during the Eid celebrations. There are at least 200,000 pieces of the unity fabric so imagine how happy tailors across the country must be. Still think it’s a bad idea?
Bring back native Friday
Did you ever stop to ask yourself why Nigerians no longer wear native attires to work on Friday? Well, the First Lady has been asking those questions so you wouldn’t have to. 200,000 pieces of fabric are more than enough to restore this culture. With these few points of mine, I hope I’ve been able to confuse and not convince you that the national owambe is exactly what Nigeria needs to feed its 31.8 million citizens who can no longer afford to eat and address the other 1,001 unresolved problems bothering it right now.
