Analysts say the fear is that ethnic tensions that so far have been channelled mostly into the democracy movement might if that movement is again blocked find an outlet elsewhere. Nigerian readers immediately recognised both the capital of Rwanda and the pointed reference to the tribal violence that left up to a million dead in that country four years ago. Although not nearly on the scale of the Rwandan genocide, Nigeria has known communal violence itself. In 1966, tensions between Hausas and Ibos climaxed in mass killings and mass exodus. The Biafra war with one million people dying in the famine that came with it was fought over the Ibos' attempts to form their own republic.
People can see the benefit of living together and being one.
But they will say, if worse comes to worst, if we can't get what we want, we will go our own way. Many are already saying it on the streets of Lagos. I believe it, because we cannot send our children to school any more. We cannot continue. Inside the Abiola compound, however, separatism had not yet ripened.