Ohanaeze Backs Call For Biafra Republic

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has backed the ongoing call for the secession of south eastern part of the country from Nigeria to form a Republic of Biafra.

The group has said it was strongly behind the agitation for a sovereign state of Biafra.

Ohanaeze made this known on Thursday at a recent press conference organised by its outgoing Secretary General, Dr Joe Nworgu.

Nworgu gave the continued marginalisation of the Igbo as one of their reasons for wanting to secede.

He said Ohanaeze has not condemned the Biafran agitation by the youths, asking “why should we condemn what is true?”

Nworgu explained, “the difference is that while the parent body is preaching patience, the youths don’t have time for such; youths must be youths, so they are responding in their own ways.

“But the problem is the same injustice, insensitivity, exclusionism. All these factors are creating the agitation, but the conclusions are different. The elders or elderly people are advising, thinking that maybe there will be a change of mind, but the youths have no time.”

According to the outgoing Secretary General, the marginalization of the Ndigbo has been on the increase since the civil war.

He said: “It has been very bad since 1970, but under Buhari, it has been exacerbated and his attitude and utterances are not helping matters. In fact, Buhari is even acting to provoke us into taking a wrong step and to have a reason for a clampdown.

“So, we are advising our youths to calm down based on the mindset of our president. When he was appointed I said Ndigbo will desire a president who will be president to all Nigerians because nepotism is corruption.”

Nworgu stated that Buhari’s negligence of the Igbo became manifest when he made his first 32 appointments and left the Igbo with nothing.

“There are many sectors of governance but when you have taken all the plum things, put them under your town’s people, what do you expect the other people to do, they will feel excluded. That is why Ndigbo are not happy with his administration.”