By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

For millions of Nigerians, questions about their ancestral origins — not their place of birth — continue to determine access to jobs, land rights, educational quotas, and even social acceptance.

These everyday realities of exclusion formed the emotional focus of the National Peace Committee’s (NPC) high-level dialogue on national identity held Tuesday in Abuja.

The event, titled “Nigeria’s National Identity: Revisiting the Indigene–Settler Question,” spotlighted lived experiences rather than constitutional theory — stories of Nigerians who remain treated as strangers in communities they have called home for generations.

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Convener of the NPC, said decades of nation-building have not resolved a fundamental emotional question many Nigerians still grapple with: “Am I fully accepted in this country?”

He lamented that citizens continue to face both subtle and overt discrimination — from being denied scholarships in their state of birth to being excluded from jobs and political opportunities because their ancestors migrated from another region.

“These everyday injustices amount to an ongoing injury against citizens,” he said. “We continue to bury our dead, mourn losses across communities, and sing songs of hopelessness because we have failed to build a nation where each Nigerian feels equally claimed and equally protected.”

Kukah recalled that the NPC was established in 2014 to restore trust, mend fractured relationships, and promote a country where belonging is not conditional.

“We are still wrestling with the question of who belongs and who does not,” he added. “As long as this debate persists, ordinary Nigerians — students, workers, traders, parents — will continue to carry the burden.”

Mr. Zissimos Vergos, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria, expressed concern over the emotional and psychological weight such exclusion imposes.

He said being labelled a “settler” in one’s birthplace is not a mere administrative term but a deeply damaging experience that affects identity, dignity, and opportunity.

“This form of discrimination diminishes people’s sense of belonging and limits their potential contributions to society,” Vergos said. “No one should feel like a second-class citizen in a place they call home.”

He stressed that discriminatory practices tied to ancestry undermine national unity and stall development, calling on government institutions to adopt more inclusive models of citizenship and public service recruitment.

Vergos also reaffirmed the European Union’s support for initiatives that strengthen social cohesion, noting that identity-based exclusion remains a driver of conflict in many communities.

Speakers at the event urged political leaders, traditional institutions, and civil society to push for reforms that redefine “indigeneity” in a way that protects cultural heritage without weaponizing identity.

The dialogue concluded with calls for a national framework that guarantees equal rights for all Nigerians — regardless of ancestry — and promotes a shared identity anchored in citizenship, not origin.