Uche Mefor Uche Mefor, Convenor, Igbo Biafra Nationalists and the Igbo Nationality Movement The Igbo people have a verifiable claim to s...
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| Uche Mefor |
The Igbo people have a verifiable claim to self-determination, which refers to their right to determine their own political status, economic development, and cultural identity.
Historical and Cultural Identity: The Igbo people have a distinct culture, language, and history that sets them apart from other ethnic groups in Nigeria. They have their own traditional customs and governance structures, which have been eroded by colonization and subsequent Nigerian nationhood.
Plitical Marginalization: Since Nigeria's independence, the Igbo people have experienced political marginalization and discrimination, and targeted violence against them. They have been consciously and deliberately excluded from the top echelon of political power(the office of the president), and decision-making processes, resulting in a lack of development and opportunities in their region. They have the least number of local government councils, least number of federal representatives (house of representatives and house of senator), least number of states (5 states as against every other region in Nigeria having 6 states each).
Economic Inequality: The Nigerian state has economically emaciated the economic fortunes of the Igbos in their homeland of the South East Region by her conscious policy of depriving the region of any meaningful, substantial federal infrastructural and developmental, economic presence. The implication of having having the least number of states and local government councils is that the Nigerian state has through that deliberate, entrenched policy of exlusion and marginalization subjected South East and her people to receiving the lowest allocation of resources and effectively made a minority.
Persecution and Human Rights Abuses: The Igbo people have experienced violence, discrimination, and persecution in Nigeria, including the massacre of Igbo civilians during the Biafran War in the 1960s. They continue to face human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and torture.
Non-Representation in Government: Despite being the second,if not the largest ethnic group in Nigeria, the Igbo people have little representation in the government, including the federal cabinet, and are often excluded from key decision-making positions in government and other sectors.
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