NewStats: 3,263,498 , 8,180,350 topics. Date: Friday, 06 June 2025 at 09:37 AM 4s1924

Only Shagari, Obasanjo, Jonathan meant well for Igbo’

•Says May 30 can’t be wished away


58 years after the declaration of Biafra, a former President of Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Aka Ikenga, Chief Goddy Uwazurike, insists that the struggle it represented is far from over.


In this interview, he reflects on the significance of May 30 for Igbo people, the historical trauma and resistance embodied in the Biafran cause, and ‘’despicable’’ treatment of Ndigbo in Nigeria’s political structure among others.


58 years after the declaration of Biafra, what does May 30 mean to Ndigbo today?

May 30 is in Igbo blood and Igbo DNA. Once it is in you, you must mark that date in one form or the other. You may mark it in your room, you may mark it outside, you may go to church but mark it, yes, we must. Two, what every family should tell their in Igbo land is that May 30 is a date that can never be whished aside, can never be swept aside and must always be in our hearts.

What, in your view, are the most important lessons the Igbo nation has learned from the Biafran experience?

Well, it means a lot to many people. Not everybody agreed with the declaration of the State of Biafra and what followed. But then, for many of us, we mark that date, we that date, and the lesson will always be there. That one, push a man to the wall, even a coward has to react.


Two, there is a reaction to every action. And three, never tell a man what he can do? Telling a man what he can do? will have consequences on both sides.

That’s my very short answer to lessons, because there are no permanent lessons; every situation is different. The era that experienced May 30 1967, can never be the era today, but the lessons must be imbibed by all.

How would you describe the socio-political position of the Igbo people in today’s Nigeria?

Despicable! Despicable because there is this consistent unwritten rule that Igbo must be kept out of the political equation of this country, the political structure. Yes, we had people who meant well. We had people of integrity like Shehu Shagari, like Olusegun Obasanjo, like Yar’Adua, like Goodluck Jonathan. They made sure there was inclusion of all, not just the Igbo or Yoruba or Hausa/Fulani, of everybody in the political equation of Nigeria. But then that’s where it ended. Throughout the military era, we were just less than engers.

We were more like conductors, conducting and watching people going to different destinations. And today, and yesterday, including Buhari’s era, we are back to that “siddon look.” In other words, nobody is getting the best politically out of the Igbo nation. As far as they are concerned, the Igbo must be subdued. With people like Buhari, the war is still on. Throughout his eight years in power, the war was on.


Unfortunately, the Igbo were not conquered. The Igbo are still standing. So the basic Igbo man up till today is still asking for a level playing ground. A level-playing ground that led to May 30, 1967, that’s what they’re asking for, and we’re still asking for it. If they think that we’ll get tired, believe me, nobody will get tired. The quest must be pursued to its conclusion. When they are going to lay their wreaths, on June 12 or October 1, that is where you see those who are actually ruling Nigeria. You will never see an Igbo person there as of today. You will not because the president, the vice president, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Chief Justice of the Federation, there is no Igbo person there.

Then in the order of protocols in this country, the president, the vice president, the Senate President, the Speaker, the Chief Justice, and then you begin to see the Deputy Senate President, then finally you will see the Deputy Speaker, who is more like an attachment in the equation. So when it comes to appointments in this country today, we are just doing another “siddon look”. Let me ask you, how many ministers do the five Southeastern states have? One major minister, Minister of Works, the other one is what I call Chief Minister, and three assistant ministers. I am choosing my words carefully in my description, because the man from Enugu State is the Minister of Science and Tech. His budget is not up to the monthly budget of some other ministries.

His entire annual budget is not up to the monthly budget of some other ministries. All the others are ministers of state. Now, get down to Ogun State, how many ministers? Four. All of them are frontline ministers. I’m not talking about Southwest, I’m talking about one state, called Ogun, versus the entire Southeastern states. When they are meeting in the National Executive Council, there is only one person who will speak, Dave Umahi, but there is a limit to how long he will speak. After that, no other person from the Southeast. David Umahi’s main accomplishment today is first, praising Buhari and then praising Tinubu. Eulogising the two of them. So when you are talking of federal appointments, we are simply not there.

Now let me get down to party leadership. APC is the ruling party today. Who is the Igbo person there? Is he the chairman? The deputy chairman? The national secretary or the assistant? They are not there. In other words, when the national caucus meets, where is the Igbo man there? None. When they have emergency meetings, the National Working Committee, NWC, who and who are the Igbo there? None.

Yet, they are the people who make decisions for everybody in this country. So there are some people who are determined to put the Igbo down, to make him stay down, to make sure he never gets up. This is rather unfortunate, but the Igbo can never be suppressed. There is this innate desire to succeed.

That’s why when Peter Obi came out, he came out in a way, not as an Igbo man, he came out as a person and showed the country that it is possible to have a decent politician. And he’s still showing it.

Many young Igbo today were not born during the war. Yet, many are deeply ionate about the Biafran cause. What do you think drives that intergenerational sentiment?

It’s not sentiment. It’s something that is in their blood. We are talking of young men of today, in their twenties. So, when a young child goes for a common entrance examination, he has 180. They said, no, we will not it you. Who will they it? They it somebody from another state who has two points and another person who has twenty points. So, the child goes to state secondary school because he cannot get ission to federal government-owned unity colleges. Now, he takes the JAMB and he es.

What happens? He’s told that their own merit score must be extremely high. You have to get up to 280 to go on the merit but some other people can go in at 150. If they have 150 marks, they go in but you that have 280, you have no seat. So, the child grows up with that kind of anger bottled up in him. And he goes to ask his father what happened? His father will now start explaining to him what Biafra meant.

So, will you now turn around and tell him he has no reason to be angry? Let me tell you, the young man of today is looking at what is happening through the glass ceiling. Looking through the glass ceiling means that you see your mates moving higher, but you cannot cross.

Now, what of that man who scored 180 in primary school, scored 280 in JAMB? He gets 2.1 Second Class Upper, and when he gets into civil service, he is bossed by somebody who graduated the same year as him, who had an ordinary . Within five years, the man who is academically inferior becomes his boss, and he has to obey him. That is a point of anger. They see through the glass ceiling that his peers are moving while he is marching and he says why. He ed the uniformed service, it is the same treatment.

The discrimination is so obvious, and it means too much. So, whenever you see him getting angry, you know why. And what does he do? Like his father, he moves into private business and he excels. When he starts excelling, what happens? They impose all kinds of restrictions on his business. And those who are running the country are people who are academically inferior. In other words, our first 11 is not being used. He belongs to the first eleven, but who do you use? The last eleven.

There are various Biafran groups with sometimes conflicting visions. Is there a unified voice for the Biafran quest today?

Well, the quest for Biafra is called LCM – local common factor. So, that is the unifying factor, but how they see it actually matters to who actually brought them up and whose vision it was. Yes, the quest for Biafra will always be there, it’s in the DNA of any Igbo person. That’s the truth but how to go about it is a different thing.

The one thing no Igbo man wants is those who are going for violence. No, we don’t want it. You can raise your fist. You can raise your voice. You can demand for it. That’s what the modern world requires.

But not violence. So, those who are agitating violently definitely are not Igbo people. Biafran genuine agitations are not violence. And I can say this without any fear of contradiction. Biafran genuine agitations are not violent.

Some argue that agitation is hurting Igbo economic interest. How would you address such concerns?

Well, you know what is happening in Igbo land today. Every Monday they have one amorphous group making announcements, wreaking violence on people who go about their business. They are not genuine agitators. They are unknown people who are using the cover to milk the people. They are hurting us. And what can we do? It is the army that can quell them but on Mondays, the military will go home and sit and allow all those bad people to have a field day. On Tuesday, the army will come out and then start harassing the populace. Meanwhile, the criminals are busy enjoying their loot. So, the people can do nothing. It’s still up to the military, if they think they can solve it, they should stand up and take a stand.

What role do you see young Igbo people playing in shaping the future of the region politically, economically, and culturally?

Well, what the young people will do to shape the future of this country depends on what the adults are doing. What are the adults doing today? They are perpetrating injustice. They are making sure there is no level playing ground. And what will they do to change the situation so the young people will have a better nation than us? Whether Biafra succeeds or not, life must go on. Now, let me tell you what they can do.

If they have, from primary school, if you , you have ed. Nobody wants to know where you come from, we are looking for the best. If you have scored very high, go for a choice. Nobody wants to know where you are from. If you are going to a civil service, uniformed services, level playing ground, equal treatment of all. No discrimination. No marking of time. Nothing like you are Igbo, you are Yoruba, you are Hausa, you are Fulani, you are Efik, no. All they want to do is the best.

So Nigeria will make up its mind that this nation must be for everybody. Nobody must be left behind. Nobody must be excluded. Justice and equity must be enshrined. If you notice the coat of arms of Nigeria today, it’s justice and equity. Let us practice it and see how things will move.


Source: https://vanguardngr.com/biafra-under-tinubu-southeast-has-only-one-minister-3-assistant-ministers-uwazurike

Walahi the man spoke nothing but the truth.

You're lucky to have 2 ministers,Tinubu is a very generous man. Continue playing nzobu nzobu and then expect something after you lose.

The people that argue that Igbos are been marginalized have a very strong Argument
But let‘s be honest with ourselves, Igbos can’t lead a multicultural plural societies without anarchy
Look at what Obi was caught saying during elections(this is a religious war) Had he won the election. He will be bombing us the way Isreal is doing to Palestians
And Obedient will cheers on as our babies is being blown to bits
Keeping Igbos from Power may Look unkind but very neccesary as Igbos are built different from every human

They should be grateful to him for being his biggest detractors during the 2023 Elections.

They should be happy he even promised them bread in soaked tea. He is way too generous.

If na me, no bread... no tea. Na Fasting Continua.

Akungitit:
You're lucky to have 2 ministers,Tinubu is a very generous man. Continue playing nzobu nzobu and then expect something after you lose.

Exactly. Even in the US / UK. There's "lobbying"

After losing a war you started, you start at the back of the queue.

There's a chilling statement- " after a War, the Victors decide what version of history not the Vanquished "

Check World War II and the so-called Rwandas genocide. If you know what Paul Kagame did before, during and after the War....

Codepain:
The people that argue that Igbos are been marginalized have a very strong Argument
But let‘s be honest with ourselves, Igbos can’t lead a multicultural plural societies without anarchy
Look at what Obi was caught saying during elections(this is a religious war) Had he won the election. He will be bombing us the way Isreal is doing to Palestians
And Obedient will cheers on as our babies is being blown to bits
Keeping Igbos from Power may Look unkind but very neccesary as Igbos are built different from every human

But you ed a man who said bloods and baboon will be soaked in blood bath and his ers actually killed southerners when he lost election, yet you guys ed him to become president, and when he finally became president his tribesmen started killing your people and other tribesmen in their lands all over Nigeria, yet you people still ed him again to do a second term...

Till date his tribesmen are still killing your people and other Nigerian tribes in their lands but you have no problem returning the same tribe back to power in future but you have a problem with the Igbos who haven't done any of this to your people or any other tribe in Nigeria unprovoked.

The truth is it has nothing to do with what Peter Obi said or did not say or what Igbos have done or have not done, it is just deep seated hatred for the Igbos, to you it is more about tribal dominance than logic, it is about fear that the Igbos will correct the injustice and bring in equity, you fear the Igbos will dominate based on equal playing ground and merit, so you would rather destroy Nigeria than see that happen for
Nigeria to progress.

Brendaniel:


Bit you ed a man who said bloods and baboon will be soaked in blood bath and his ers actually killed southerners when he lost election, yet you guys ed him to become president, and when he finally became president his tribesmen started killing your people and other tribesmen in their lands all over Nigeria, yet you people still ed him again to do a second term...

Till date his tribesmen are still killing your people and other Nigerian tribes in their lands but you have no problem returning the same tribe back to power in future but you have a problem with the Igbos who haven't done any of this to your people or any other tribe in Nigeria unprovoked.

The truth is it has nothing to do with what Peter Obi said or did not say or what Igbos have done or have not done, it is just deep seated hatred for the Igbos, to you it is more about tribal dominance than logic, it is about fear that the Igbos will correct the injustice and bing in equity, you fear the Igbos will dominate based on equal playing ground and merit, so you would rather destroy Nigeria than see that happen while
Nigeria progresses.

Your emotionally charged argument, totally void of logic would have been shocking if I don’t know that’s how Igbos argue
If IPOB is responsible for 10 deaths, and questions arise, you quickly divert to Boko Haram and the North, never facing IPOB’s actions
You are never able for anything it’s always Fulani Fulani North north
I Highlighted how Peter Obi wanted to cause religious war and how General populace of Igbos will bomb Muslims to smithereen if given a Chance you start deflecting
To address your deflection: unlike Peter Obi, who said “I live among them in Onitsha, IPOB are peaceful,” Buhari launched Operation Whirl Stroke in the Middle Belt, which decimated many killer herdsmen and brought about the relative peace we enjoy today.

TheChameleon:


Exactly. Even in the US / UK. There's "lobbying"

After losing a war you started, you start at the back of the queue.

There's a chilling statement- " after a War, the Victors decide what version of history not the Vanquished "

Check World War II and the so-called Rwandas genocide. If you know what Paul Kagame did before, during and after the War....

Provide a written script or audio clip of Ojukwu declaring war and I will provide both written script and audio clip of Gowon declaring war, please stop with this stupid.d lies of Biafrns starting any war, you guys love to twist history to deceive those you can deceive...

That’s too much for a region that gave about 5% votes and 95% hatred and bitterness. I thought you have pride, if you really do, you will not take an appointment from your enemy. May God not make us beg our enemies for food

B

Codepain:
The people that argue that Igbos are been marginalized have a very strong Argument
But let‘s be honest with ourselves, Igbos can’t lead a multicultural plural societies without anarchy
Look at what Obi was caught saying during elections(this is a religious war) Had he won the election. He will be bombing us the way Isreal is doing to Palestians
And Obedient will cheers on as our babies is being blown to bits
Keeping Igbos from Power may Look unkind but very neccesary as Igbos are built different from every human

Nobody will try nonsense with Muslims in Nigeria anyone that even think of it will not be the one to tell the story

Stop telling lies

Thet have added yeye lies to their narration.

Wetin una wan take appointment do?

Shebi your job is to oppose, lose, then demand appointment.

Nigeria is gone

Old format, always screaming marginalisation 🤷

For Tinubu to have done that he is even generous. Next time let's avoid politics of bitterness

I didn't read the write up but we igbos deserve anything coming to us, in life, everything is not garagara, sometimes you need to be logical and strategic, u can't keep insulting anyone who doesn't your candidate and expect different results, the yorubas voted Obi in 2023 but Tinubu got less than 5% votes in south east but what did they get? Insults upon insults. The truth is that, in 2027 no yoruba will vote Obi, forget the content creators, they are pretending online because they don't want to loose their fan base.

RichBoy247:


Nobody will try nonsense with Muslims in Nigeria anyone that even think of it will not be the one to tell the story

You don’t truly know these people. If they kill, fear of retaliation will push them to immediately flood the press and social media with false narratives like “Fulanis are killing Igbos. blaming others to hide their own guilt and manipulate public perception.

The image below shows Muslims killed by Christians, yet they twist the story to make it seem like Muslims are the ones committing the violence.

This is happening in South Africa too. While Ramaphosa was at the White House, he was on trial for what was done to his own black people.

But do most Igbos mean well for Tinubu?
Igbos meant the worst and terrible things to happen to Tinubu.
Don't they?
Say the truth,sir.
Be honest.

Akungitit:
You're lucky to have 2 ministers,Tinubu is a very generous man. Continue playing nzobu nzobu and then expect something after you lose.

I keep telling Igbo in APC that there's nothing they would do to pacify you people even if they vote your party landslide or haven't all eastern elected officials pledged loyalty to Tinubu against 2027 ? Your hatred of the Igbos is just natural and can never be tamed no matter what they do

Brendaniel:


But you ed a man who said bloods and baboon will be soaked in blood bath and his ers actually killed southerners when he lost election, yet you guys ed him to become president, and when he finally became president his tribesmen started killing your people and other tribesmen in their lands all over Nigeria, yet you people still ed him again to do a second term...

Till date his tribesmen are still killing your people and other Nigerian tribes in their lands but you have no problem returning the same tribe back to power in future but you have a problem with the Igbos who haven't done any of this to your people or any other tribe in Nigeria unprovoked.

The truth is it has nothing to do with what Peter Obi said or did not say or what Igbos have done or have not done, it is just deep seated hatred for the Igbos, to you it is more about tribal dominance than logic, it is about fear that the Igbos will correct the injustice and bring in equity, you fear the Igbos will dominate based on equal playing ground and merit, so you would rather destroy Nigeria than see that happen for
Nigeria to progress.

Bro some people are just sick. That's what hatred can do to a man.

Every year, for decades, I am tired of seeing this same argument...we are being marginalized because we don't have minister.

Having minister in government won't do anything good for development. It is having serious governors, serious lg chairman, and a president who promotes polices that encourage development.

Yes, before anyone quotes me to call me anti-igbo...I will say the same thing if an Igbo president was in charge, and was giving half the posts to igbo, and yourba and hausa were complaining.

Codepain:

Your emotionally charged argument, totally void of logic would have been shocking if I don’t know that’s how Igbos argue
If IPOB is responsible for 10 deaths, and questions arise, you quickly divert to Boko Haram and the North, never facing IPOB’s actions
You are never able for anything it’s always Fulani Fulani North north
I Highlighted how Peter Obi wanted to cause religious war and how General populace of Igbos will bomb Muslims to smithereen if given a Chance you start deflecting
To address your deflection: unlike Peter Obi, who said “I live among them in Onitsha, IPOB are peaceful,” Buhari launched Operation Whirl Stroke in the Middle Belt, which decimated many killer herdsmen and brought about the relative peace we enjoy today.

You are the one deflecting issues here, and did Buhari stop the killings?

Are they not still killing other tribes up till date?

Are the Igbos killing other tribes?

who is talking about Boko haram and IPOB here, we are talking about you not wanting an Igbo president based on what they will do to other tribes, and I asked you why you ed Buhari who has threatened other tribes and his tribe has killed other tribes and still killing other tribes, yet you have no problem with his tribe ruling yet have problem with Igbos that have not done any of that to your tribe or any other tribe....

The question is what have the Igbos done to you or your tribe that the Fulanis have not done a thousand times worse that will make you prefer a Fulani to rule you than for an igbo man to rule you?


it is just deep seated hatred and nothing more....

Codepain:
The people that argue that Igbos are been marginalized have a very strong Argument
But let‘s be honest with ourselves, Igbos can’t lead a multicultural plural societies without anarchy
Look at what Obi was caught saying during elections(this is a religious war) Had he won the election. He will be bombing us the way Isreal is doing to Palestians
And Obedient will cheers on as our babies is being blown to bits
Keeping Igbos from Power may Look unkind but very neccesary as Igbos are built different from every human

God abeg o!
Why did you allow we your children (Igbos) to be in the same country with creatures like this?

Buhari a fulani man that once said "an attack on boko haram is an attack against the north". Yet buhari ruled Nigeria and you lots ed him. But Peter Obi that made a statement concerning, the Muslim Muslim ticket is now the one that is going to blow you up and your kids abi?

Obi made that statement because Nigeria is not a Muslim country.

Ok we are watching..

You know before, people like us used to believed that Yorubas were the most intelligent and educated in Nigeria and everybody respected them for that. But of late I have come to find out that was a fat lie. Going by the history of examinations and other expeditions in Nigeria, you will find out that igbos have always been the best. What Yoruba does is this, they use the power of the media under their control in Nigeria to project themselves falsely, and demote the igbos whom they see as their closest competitor. But with the coming of social media, every secrets lays bay. We now know who is who, and who is not who. Thank God to social media.

if you face what Igbos are facing in Nigeria, you won't even be on social media. Give it up to us, we are resilient, intelligent, wealthy and successful in everything. Deal with it.

TheChameleon:


Exactly. Even in the US / UK. There's "lobbying"

After losing a war you started, you start at the back of the queue.

There's a chilling statement- " after a War, the Victors decide what version of history not the Vanquished "

Check World War II and the so-called Rwandas genocide. If you know what Paul Kagame did before, during and after the War....

What exactly are you saying?
Are you saying that Igbos should follow you lots in voting backwardness and cheats every time?

That's not possible because Igbos want an enabling environment for business and education while, you lots only want your tribesmen there nothing more that's why most of your people are shouting "ebimpawa".

Okoroawusa:
For Tinubu to have done that he is even generous. Next time let's avoid politics of bitterness

What exactly do you mean by politics of bitterness?