More than half a century after the end of the Nigerian civil war, Igbo leaders have said that structural injustice and marginalisation that led to the conflict remain entrenched in Nigeria’s political architecture.
Speaking to our correspondent, Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Dr. Ezechi Chukwu, and Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia, Most Rev. Raphael Opoko, strongly condemned what they described as the continued subjugation of the Igbo in Nigeria, calling for urgent restructuring and equity in national affairs, reports Sunday Vanguard.
According to Chukwu, for nearly six decades since the civil war ended, the issues that triggered it, ethnic domination, political imbalance, and social exclusion, have not been addressed.
He said: “We still operate a system galvanized with ethnic architecture and religious ornaments.
“We still live in a country that thrives on the quota system rather than the metrics of merit and competencies. The Igbo man is considered a vassal, while some parts of the country occupy the status of medieval lords and kings.”
He lamented what he described as “arbitrary standards” in the administration of justice, access to power, and distribution of national wealth.
“The systemic conspiracy theory against the emergence of an Igbo president is real. We still live in a country where the mere aspiration of an Igbo man to the presidency is met with orchestrated opposition,” he added. Chukwu maintained that the irreducible minimum for a re-imagined Nigeria is “authentic restructuring,” which would allow component regions to develop based on their own resources, capacity, and priorities.
In a similar vein, Archbishop Raphael Opoko described the federal government’s post-war slogan “No victor, no vanquished” as mere rhetoric, declaring that the Igbo were clearly the losers of the war and continue to suffer for it.
His words:”At the end of the war, they said ‘No victor, no vanquished, but years later, someone revealed a secret memo warning that the Igbo should not be trusted.
“Those who made General Gowon abandon the Aburi Accord are the same forces behind the sabotage of Nigeria’s refineries and the export of crude oil only to import refined fuel. They prefer to empower willing tools to rule over others.”
Opoko pointed to the 2025 mass failure in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which heavily affected candidates from the South-East, as a possible deliberate distraction.
He said: “Was the JAMB issue just a coincidence, or a ploy to distract Ndigbo while something major was happening at the national level? These manipulators know that if Nigeria ever unites and lives in peace, it will become too powerful. So they keep sowing political, ethnic, and religious discord.”
Touching on the continued detention of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, Archbishop Opoko explained the rationale behind his agitations.
He said: “When Nnamdi Kanu talked about Biafra, what I understood was this: ‘If you can’t give Ndigbo equal access and opportunity in this country, then allow a referendum so they can determine their fate.’ That’s not rebellion, that’s a demand for justice. “Why should someone from the Southeast score 230 in JAMB and still not get admission, while someone from elsewhere scores below 100 and gets in? Then the same person with 100 becomes head of ministries and parastatals.
“When you oppress people, they become resilient. When you keep pushing them to the wall, they will eventually push back—and when they do, everyone becomes uncomfortable.”
He expressed concern over how the younger generation of Igbo is interpreting these injustices. “These young ones are watching, and one day they may decide to act.”
The Archbishop accused both local and foreign actors of colluding to keep the Southeast perpetually disadvantaged.
“In the past, if a cow destroyed your crops, a Fulani herdsman would apologize and sort it out. Today, they come with AK-47s and no one bates an eyelid, “the cleric noted.
‘Don’t give up’
Despite the daunting challenges, Archbishop Opoko urged the Igbo not to give up.
“Let them continue to excel in their businesses and industries. Don’t depend solely on political appointments. The oppression and subjugation of Ndigbo are too much. All we ask is equal access and opportunity. Nothing more,” he added.
