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By Daniel Adaji
The Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has said that Nigeria has yet to reassure the Igbo people of equal stake in the country.
President of the group, Chief Omenazu Jackson disclosed this in a statement shared with pointblanknews.com early Saturday.
He recalled the devastating impact of the Nigerian Civil War, which claimed the lives of millions, including many Igbos. Over five decades later, he said, the ethnic group continues to suffer marginalization and unfair treatment by successive governments.
The Civil War which lasted for about five years was fought from 1967 to 1970 between the federal government and the secessionist state Biafra. Ethnic conflict, economic inequality, and educational disparities were among the factors blamed for the war.
“More than five decades since the guns were silenced, the Igbo question in Nigeria remains dangerously unanswered. The wounds are yet to heal, not because time has failed, but because justice has been denied,” the group said.
“The ghosts of marginalization haunt every sphere of the Nigerian state, from political representation and economic participation to cultural identity and national integration,” it added.
The group pointed to systemic exclusion across political representation, economic participation, cultural identity, and national integration, stating “Has Nigeria truly reassured the Igbo of our rightful place in this federation? Why does strategic exclusion remain the silent policy of the state? Are we to be perpetual victims of a nation we helped build with sweat, intellect, and sacrifice?”
Despite the grievances, Omenazu reaffirmed Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s commitment to national unity.
“Yet in the face of historical betrayal, our hope endures, not in false promises, but in the resilience of our people and the power of unity. As we remember, we must also reassess. The time has come for a new direction, one rooted in truth, justice, and collective resolve,” he said.
He called for “Genuine restructuring of Nigeria into a truly federal system where no group is superior, and all regions thrive equitably.”
The group also called for an end to the systemic marginalization of Ndigbo in security appointments, federal infrastructure, and economic access and a national dialogue on the right to self-determination as enshrined in international law.
It also insisted on justice for war crimes and reconciliation through acknowledgment, apology, and reparations.
“We will no longer sit idle in a nation that refuses to see us as equal stakeholders. Our patience is not weakness. Our peace-loving nature is not submission. And our silence is not consent to injustice,” it stated.