The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has disagreed with Igbo youths agitating for the emergence of a separate Biafran nation, saying that the realization of a physical Biafra cannot be decided at the marketplace.
In a statement signed by its National Deputy Publicity Secretary, Chuks Ibegbu shortly after the meeting of governors of the South-South and South-East geopolitical zones in Enugu, the group said the clamour for secession would only be considered when the calls for restructuring fail to materialize.
“There is a raging debate on whether Igbos want Biafra, restructuring or referendum. Ohaneze Ndigbo’s position has been constant and clear. It advocates that a restructured Nigeria with justice and equity will serve Ndigbo more than secession.
“Referendum is not a bad idea but it’s not a tea party either. It is an option that will be more potent if restructuring clamour fails,” the statement read.
“Biafra of the mind is not a bad idea, but a physical Biafra at this time needs a very deep retrospection, introspection and analytical brainstorming which is not decided in the market. It is only more plausible if the event of 1966 repeats itself in Nigeria,” it added.
The group praised the efforts of Igbo youths and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu in heightening the hopes of Ndigbo in Nigeria, but argued that they should exercise caution and restraint in their utterances, strategies and methodologies.
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