…Insists, Genuine National Healing Should Begin With Righting The Wrongs Against Ndigbo
The Association of Igbo Town Unions (ASITU), which is the umbrella body the Igbo grassroots, has painstakingly reviewed the long-overdue public admission by former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, that the January 1966 coup was not an Igbo coup. Even though we are deeply baffled that it took the former President nearly six decades to speak the truth, we, nevertheless deem it necessary to move on from here, given that his revelation has finally dismantled the dangerous falsehood that has shaped Nigeria’s post-war policy and national orientation towards Ndigbo. This offers a watershed moment in the country’s history and provides an opening for national introspection and reconciliation.
For decades, the lie that the Igbo plotted and executed a coup against the rest of Nigeria has been weaponized to justify structural violence against the Igbo to the point where a people that led Nigeria’s economy before independence and offered the country most of its finest minds across all sectors were suddenly cast as pariahs and threats to national unity.
For decades the Igbo have been made to bear the brunt of a narrative deliberately skewed to portray them as architects of Nigeria’s woes. To be clear, that tragic distortion of facts gave rise to the 30-month genocidal civil war, from July 1967 to January 1970, which visited unquantifiable carnage and ravages upon our land, and left in its wake broken families, orphaned children, scorched communities, and a people struggling to rise from the ashes of national betrayal.
The war led to the death of an estimated three million Igbo civilians, mostly women and children, who perished from starvation and preventable diseases due to the economic blockade imposed by the Nigerian government. Towns like Asaba were sites of genocidal massacres, with the infamous 1967 Asaba Massacre claiming over 1,000 innocent lives in a single operation.
The unjust labeling of Ndigbo as rebels fed the machinery of marginalization and underdevelopment and served as justification for our political and economic exclusion in the decades that followed.
While some have proposed monetary compensation as reparation for this long-standing injustice, ASITU holds a fundamentally different view. No amount of money can restore the lives that were lost or compensate for the trauma that has been passed down through generations. Our pain is not transactional. The Igbo who returned after the war found their bank accounts reduced to twenty pounds, irrespective of what they had deposited pre-war. Properties belonging to them in Port Harcourt and elsewhere were branded “abandoned properties” and appropriated. To this day families are still fighting in courts to reclaim what was lawfully theirs. Yet, even with these wounds Ndigbo embraced the slogan “No victor no vanquished” and sought to reintegrate and rebuild Nigeria with hope and commitment.
The healing we seek must begin on the altar of truth, justice and symbolic acts of national contrition.
ASITU therefore calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately recognize all those who died during the Nigeria-Biafra War as national heroes. These were citizens who perished not because they hated Nigeria, but because the nation failed to protect them. Their souls deserve honor, their sacrifices deserve remembrance, and their memory must be enshrined in the moral conscience of the country.
Nations that have emerged from conflict and civil strife have healed by facing history squarely. Rwanda after the genocide of 1994 declared a National Mourning Week and built memorials across the country. South Africa under Nelson Mandela embraced the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Nigeria cannot pretend that the war never happened nor continue to hide from its consequences.
To this end we demand that a national day of remembrance be declared and observed annually as a public holiday across the country. On this day the Federal Government should organize a symbolic national burial for all the victims of the war. This act will offer long overdue closure to the families of the dead and send a clear message that the Nigerian state has finally acknowledged the injustice and is ready to right the wrongs of the past. There is still no national monument commemorating the war dead in Igboland nor a federally-backed war archive to preserve their stories. These are minimum steps needed in a serious nation striving for unity.
The healing process must also address the structural injustices that have kept the South East perpetually behind.
In view of that, ASITU demands the creation of additional states in the South East to bring the region at par with others. The South East has five states while other zones have six or seven. This disparity has meant that the South East gets fewer senators, fewer representatives, fewer local governments, and less revenue. This is not a technical oversight; it is a political decision with real consequences. In federal appointments, the South East often gets the short end of the stick. Between 2015 and today for instance, the South East has had no representation in the leadership of the Nigerian security architecture. Such exclusion breeds disaffection and undermines national cohesion.
We therefore demand the full inclusion of Ndigbo in the security leadership and other sensitive sectors of the nation. The persistent exclusion of our people from the command structures of the military and major national institutions is a clear violation of the federal character principle and an insult to our contributions to nation building. From General Aguiyi Ironsi to Professor Chinua Achebe, from Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe to Professor Dora Akunyili, the Igbo have served Nigeria with distinction in every field. Yet, their children today are told they cannot be trusted with the security of the nation they bled for.
Furthermore, a credible national census must be conducted as a matter of urgency. Past censuses have undercounted the Igbo population and that has served to reinforce our political and economic marginalization. In many parts of the country, Igbo settlements were not properly enumerated due to outright sabotage. An accurate census that reflects the true demographic weight of the Igbo is critical to equitable representation and planning. Every democracy needs good data and without it fairness cannot be achieved.
ASITU also calls for the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and all other pro-Biafra agitators currently detained in various parts of the country. We urge the Federal Government to initiate a comprehensive amnesty programme for those who took up arms out of frustration and neglect. These young people are not enemies of the state. They are products of a system that failed them. Instead of imprisonment, they need hope skills and opportunities. A process of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), similar to what was implemented in the Niger Delta, should be instituted with the urgency of now. The grievances of the South East are legitimate and must be addressed through dialogue, not bullets.
Finally, we insist on the immediate restructuring of Nigeria to devolve powers to the regions. The current over-centralization has bred inefficiency corruption and inequity. True federalism will empower all regions to harness their resources, develop at their pace, and build a nation that works for everyone. The South East is rich in human capital, innovation and enterprise. If allowed to control its own destiny, it will not only transform itself but contribute significantly to Nigeria’s collective prosperity.
This moment offers Nigeria a rare opportunity to reset and rebuild on the foundation of truth and equity. Let us seize it with courage and sincerity. Let the healing begin. Let justice prevail. Let Nigeria truly become a nation for all its citizens.
Signed:
Chief Emeka Diwe
National President
Association of Igbo Town Unions (ASITU).
May 29, 2025.
