Ohaneze Ndigbo declares support for Biafra; provides reasons

The Ohaneze Ndigbo has declared its support for the ongoing agitation for an independent Biafra state championed by south east youths and groups.

Since President Muhammadu Buhari took over power, the call for an independent Biafra state has increased coupled with the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, the director of Radio Biafra.

Daily Post reports that Dr Joe Nworgu who is the outgoing secretary-general of the Ohaneze Ndigbo said the marginalisation of the Igbo has stopped it from condemning the Biafra agitation.

“Why should we condemn what is true?”

“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.”

He noted that the miarginalisation of the Igbo increased after the civil war but that the Buhari administration made it worse.

“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.”

He said the first 32 appointments made by President Buhari did not contain any Igbo person.

“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.”

Meanwhile, President Buhari put an end to the issue of Biafra insisting that the country will not break-up.

In a statement by Garba Shehu who is the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Buhari was quoted as saying focus should be on development.

He said: “The question of having another country out of Nigeria is going to be very difficult. From 1914, we have more than 200 cultures living with one another. God had endowed this country with natural resources and talented people. We should concentrate on these and be very productive.”