Their Friendship Defers Tribalism

  Lanre and Ify are both final year students in the department of mass communication in the University of Nigeria Nsukka in Enugu state, Nigeria. They have been roommates from their very first year in the prestigious university of Nigeria and has since then been friends. 

While Lanre whose full name is "Olanrewaju", meaning "wealth is going forward" is from Ibadan,, a city in Nigeria which is owned mainly by the Yoruba's an ethnic group in Nigeria, Ify whose full name is "Ifeoma", meaning "good thing" is from Enugu, a city in Enugu state usually referred to as the coal city.

Lanre is fair in complexion, tall and has slender legs. Her complexion makes a lot of the Igbo speaking people occupying the east to think she is one of them. Lanre has tried to tell them so many times that she is a Yoruba which are those occupying the west. Some find it hard to believe saying she looks like them. While there was a time, an Igbo man entered into an argument with her and told her she was either trying to deny her ethnicity or that she was deceiving him. But those are the things she has gotten used to. Staying with them for four years of her study year has also made her to blend with them and adapting to their culture. 

As for her family, she has an elder brother who is the only son of her parents and she is the last child and also the only daughter of her parents. Her father, Mr Olayinka, died two years ago while she was just getting into her second year. So her mom, being Mrs Olayinka became the head of the family. All these two years, it has been her mom who has been paying her school fees from the money she gets from her restaurant. Mrs Olayinka has a big restaurant that is booming in the city of Ibadan and has employed about 16 labour. While her elder brother who graduated as a marine engineer a year before she gained admission into the university is now a senior the naval officer in the Nigeria navy. This was made possible due to a friend of her late father who was once in the navy having a high rank. If she was to explain to someone, she would use the popular Nigeria slogan "for naija, everything na connection! You must know somebody wen know somebody". Which means without having someone who has a high ranking position in the country, you can't get what you want. 

While Ify is from the family of Mr and Mrs Ochuzi Ogididawu. She has two elderly siblings before her, all male, Ebubenna and Chidubem. She also has a younger sibling who is the last born and is of the same gender as her, Melody. This is the only child who prefers a foreign name to the Igbo native name given to her which is, "Ogechi". Ify's both parents are alive and both of them live in the city of Enugu. Her mother is a chartered accountant who is in charge of the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) branch in Enugu. While her father is a business man who is into importing of goods and wholesale. 

Lanre would usually go with Ify to Enugu most times during the weekends or holidays since her own place is too far away. And it will take her over 7 hours to get to her house by road.

People will usually say "Lanre and Ify na twins, make Una no shuk mouth for their matter", whenever the two friends were having an argument. It means, "Lanre and Ify are like twins and no one should contribute into their fights, lest you end up being a scapegoat. Because no matter how much they argue, you will still see them together". So everyone who knows them knows them as sisters from different mothers. Their friendship defers tribalism. It is well known in Nigeria that the Yorubas and the Igbos are always at loggerhead. But here they are two friends and even their parents have become close because of them. Lanre's mother would chat with Ify's mom over the phone whenever they find time from their busy schedule.