Igbo Identity Under Siege: Igbo Union Declares Marginalisation Still Deeply Rooted 58 Years After Biafra

 

A powerful call for the reclamation of identity, justice, and unity among the Igbo people echoed through the city of Aba, Abia State, as the Igbo National Union – Worldwide (INU-W) was formally launched. During the emotionally charged ceremony, national spokesperson Dr. Ngozi Ogbomor reignited a decades-old conversation surrounding the treatment of the Igbo ethnic nationality in Nigeria, declaring that the grievances which led to the declaration of Biafra in 1967 remain unresolved.

A backdrop of deep frustration framed Ogbomor’s address as he lamented the continued political and social marginalisation of the Igbo across the country. He described the lack of political inclusion and deliberate efforts to alienate the group as not just a national oversight but a coordinated conspiracy that persists across generations.

“After 58 years, we are still grappling with the same injustices that compelled Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu to declare Biafra,” he stated. “The difference is that now, it is clearer that there is no sincere intention by the Nigerian state to integrate the Igbo into its leadership structure or national identity.”

Ogbomor spoke with a measured urgency that stirred the audience. He pointed to the exclusion of the Igbo from the presidency and the uneven distribution of political power as evidence of institutionalised discrimination.

Every attempt made by the Igbo to assert their place in the country’s political equation, he argued, has been met with resistance or silence. “All regions have had their opportunity at the helm, but when it is the Igbo’s turn, the rules change,” he said, accusing the national political elite of systemic bias.

A particularly emotional aspect of his speech focused on the erasure and distortion of Igbo identity in parts of the South-South and North Central regions. He recounted personal and collective experiences where Igbo communities in Edo, Delta, Rivers, and Kogi States have had their identities suppressed. According to him, this suppression has been enforced not only through political marginalisation but through cultural and linguistic assimilation tactics, including the forced modification of names.

“I am from Igbanke in Edo State,” he said with deliberate clarity. “My family name was Ogbonna. It was changed to Ogbomor to mask our Igbo identity. But no matter how they alter our names, the blood that runs through us is Igbo.”

That cultural erasure, Ogbomor explained, is not an isolated story. Across various states, communities that are culturally and linguistically Igbo have been pressured to identify differently—an effort he describes as a political tool designed to weaken Igbo unity.

Further complicating this cultural displacement, Ogbomor cited examples of traditional rulers in these communities being punished for maintaining their Igbo identity. “Ezes have had their stipends suspended and suffer indignities when they meet with more state-favoured monarchs like the Oba of Benin. It’s a strategy of humiliation.”

Adding his voice to the discourse, Justin Onyenso, Secretary of INU-W, unveiled the Union’s roadmap. One of the Union’s core objectives, he revealed, is to identify and unify Igbo-speaking communities across Nigeria—including those in Rivers, Bayelsa, Kogi, Benue, and Akwa Ibom—who have been distanced from the mainstream Igbo cultural and political conversation.

“We are not limited to the South East. The Igbo people are everywhere. And wherever we are, we must be counted and be allowed to thrive without denial of identity,” Onyenso said.

He emphasised that the movement is not about division or secession, but about healing and reclaiming a fractured identity. According to him, the struggle for the Igbo is no longer about geographical boundaries but about dignity, unity, and truth.

Ogbomor concluded with a rallying call for self-recognition and cultural reclamation, declaring that the spirit of Biafra has transformed into a unifying force rather than a divisive memory. “Biafra taught us who we are,” he said. “It is no longer about war. It is about awakening.”

The launch of INU-W marks a renewed wave of cultural consciousness among the Igbo, aiming to challenge decades of silence, exclusion, and historical revisionism. As the conversation deepens, the question remains whether the Nigerian state is ready to confront and resolve the deep-seated issues raised—or whether history, once again, is destined to repeat itself.