Surname changed to confuse Igbo identity – Ogbomor claims

DDM News

The national spokesperson of the Igbo National Union – Worldwide (INU-W), Dr. Ngozi Ogbomor, has raised alarm over the continued marginalization of the Igbo people in Nigeria, nearly six decades after the Biafran War.

Speaking at the official unveiling of INU-W in Aba, Abia State, Dr. Ogbomor emphasized that the problems which led to the Biafra declaration by the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, still persist to this day.

According to a report by The Sun, she expressed deep regret that the core issues of exclusion and marginalization identified during the civil war era have not been addressed, even after 58 years.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) reports that Dr. Ogbomor accused successive Nigerian governments of deliberately sidelining the Igbo in all aspects of governance, alleging a continued conspiracy to deny the region its rightful place in national leadership.

She pointed out that while other ethnic groups have had the opportunity to lead Nigeria, the Igbo have been persistently blocked from producing a president, reinforcing the sense of exclusion and systemic bias.

Dr. Ogbomor further described Biafra not just as a political movement but as a unifying symbol for the Igbo people across Nigeria and beyond.

She recalled the example of Joe Achuzia, an Igbo man who was based in London at the time Biafra was declared, but returned to fight for the Igbo cause, despite not being from the South East.

Using this example, she underscored the shared identity among all Igbo people, regardless of their geographical location.

Dr. Ogbomor strongly criticized labels like “Ika Igbo” or “Delta Igbo,” calling them deliberate tools of division meant to confuse and erode Igbo identity.

“Igbo is Igbo,” she asserted. “There is nothing like Ika Igbo or Delta Igbo. These labels are part of a larger scheme to make some people deny their true identity.”

Sharing her personal experience, she revealed that her surname was altered from Ogbonna to Ogbomor as part of efforts to obscure her ethnic roots.

She explained that she hails from Igbanke in Edo State, a community with deep Igbo roots, which has suffered ongoing marginalization because of its association with Biafra and the Igbo identity.

She added that due to their refusal to disown their heritage, the salaries of some traditional rulers, known as Ezes, have been suspended by the state.

Furthermore, Dr. Ogbomor claimed that these Ezes face humiliation whenever they attend meetings with the Oba of Benin, often treated as inferior or unwelcome participants.

She noted that despite years of pressure, more people from communities like Igbanke are beginning to reclaim their original Igbo names, proudly asserting their identity in the face of suppression.

Dr. Ogbomor concluded that the renewed affirmation of Igbo identity is part of a broader struggle for recognition, justice, and the restoration of dignity for all Igbo people.

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