Jonathan confirms Igbos as second class citizens of Nigeria

President Jonathan confirms Igbos as second class citizens of Nigeria

President Goodluck Jonathan last week inadvertently made a very strong case for the emergence of Biafra. In his speech to a congregation of Igbos during this year's World Igbo Congress in the United States, President Goodluck Jonathan confirmed that Igbos have been treated as second class citizens of Nigeria by past governments of Nigeria. He however boasted his administration had tried to remedy the situation by appointing Igbos to positions they have previously not held before in the country.


According to President Jonathan, “In our dogged determination to develop our country, the Igbo are well represented and in some of these appointments, the Igbo are having them for the first time.

“Some have said that this government has done more in appointments than any other in our history for the Igbo, but that is a matter for the pundits and historians. Let me state that appointments by this administration, across the country, will continue to be based on equity, fairness and competence.

“Even when some utilise politics to undermine our commitment to fairness and justice, we will deploy the principle of Federal Character to progressively correct it. No part of Nigeria under my leadership will be shortchanged.”

Of course the president was being truthful and stating well known facts. In the history of Nigeria, it was only during the administration of President Jonathan that an Igbo man was made the Chief of Army staff, to the chagrin of the rest of the country. It was also during his time that an Igbo became the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Whereas these are not what the Igbos ultimately desire, they go a long way to show the level of marginalisation and deprivation the Igbos in Nigeria have been put through by successive Nigerian governments to the extent that their appointments to such positions would score a crucial political point.

The Igbos have been deprived of such esteemed positions not because they do not merit them or are incompetent, but solely because the powers that be in Nigeria consider the Igbos not worthy of such positions. It is a known fact that Igbos are the most industrious, enterprising ethnic nationality in Nigeria, backed up by high intellectual capability. Yet, for Nigerians it is better to have an Igbo professor work as a subordinate of a Hausa-Fulani secondary school certificate holder.

That goes to buttress the fact that Igbos are not accepted as part of Nigeria, yet they are considered very indispensable not to allow them to have their own country.

This is where the world would have to come in and press it upon the Nigerian government to allow the Igbos and their cousins to free themselves from the slavery in Nigeria by restoring their beloved country Biafra.

For decades Igbos have groaned under the oppression of Nigerian successive governments. Till date there is nothing in Ala Igbo to show strong Nigerian government presence. Amenities in Ala Igbo are mostly built by the locals or the state governments, unlike in other parts of the country where various amenities and infrastructures are built by the Nigerian Federal Government. Basic infrastructures such as interstate roads that are constitutional responsibilities of the Federal Government are left to rot to punish the Igbos.

This is aptly captured by the Nigerian president in his Houston, Texas address: “Similarly in projects and policies, we have continued to do our best. Throughout the South-East, we inherited federal roads in very poor conditions.

“In spite of the highly competitive demand and constraints on funding, we have taken on most of the major roads, realising the impact that their improvement will have on business and life in our country.

“The Owerri-Onitsha road, which was under construction at the outset of my administration, has been virtually completed. Three other very important roads, the Enugu-Onitsha expressway, the Enugu-Port Harcourt road and the Nguzu-Edda-Nkporo-Ohafia road which cuts across Ebonyi and Abia States, are steadily progressing. Our hope is that improved budget and Sure-P funding will see quicker action in the months ahead.

“The Ohaozara-Ishiagu road and Enugu-Abakaliki road are some of those that have progressed to good standard. Further attention will be focused on the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene road, which is already being addressed remedially by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency.

Coming from the highest quarters of the Nigeria government, this confirms the inhuman manner Igbos have been treated in Nigeria and makes a strong case for the independence and total freedom of Igbos from the shackles of Nigeria. Note that none of the above projects have successfully been completed. Adjectives and phrases such as 'virtually completed' , 'steadily progressing', 'progressed to good standard' and 'addressed remedially' are mere political fluffs. The bottom line is despite Jonathan boasting he has done a lot of projects in the southeast, none has been completed and all the said projects are just roads!

There was no mention of any industry or refinery despite the south east currently has three oil producing states. 

Industries established by Igbo states government are deliberately extinguished by the oppressive policies of the Nigerian government. As such many Igbo youths are forced out of the land in pursuit of better future. Most who find themselves in the northern part of Nigeria are targeted by jihadists, the ones doing business in the south west states such as Lagos are victimised with inhuman tax policies and other policies aimed at disrupting their businesses, many others end up in the Sahara Desert of the Mediterranean in a bid to reach Europe.

The world must come to the rescue of the Igbos as they assiduously work to restore the independence of their beloved country Biafra.