Biafra: Why Igbo Nation Is Not Ready For Secession – Bishop
Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, the bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Enugu state, has assured the federal government that the Igbo do not need Biafra.
The Punch reports that the cleric expressed his assurance on Thursday, January 14, while briefing journalists in Enugu state.
The bishop stressed that the Igbo need massive infrastructural development in the South-East region and to be treated with justice and equity by the government led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Chukwuma noted that the pro-Biafra agitation is not necessarily a call for secession, but a protest against marginalisation and neglect by the federal and state governments. He added that the Igbo truly believe in ‘one-Nigeria’ and do not want to see the country divided.
“The people of the South-East have invested so much in Nigeria to want to pull out now. The Igbo nation is not ready for any secession now because most of us have invested so much in Nigeria as a whole and we cannot abandon our investments.
“We in the South-East don’t want any war. We are not pushing for secession, we are not asking for sovereignty at all. I am not in support of the agitation for Biafra – the pro-Biafra agitation is misguided,” he said.
According to the cleric, those young people who took to the streets calling for the actualisation of Biafra were simply frustrated by bad leadership and its consequences, such as poverty and unemployment.
“Those who were marching for Biafra are mostly youths who have been frustrated, so many of them have been used and dumped by politicians. They are misdirected youths who felt that was the only way to express their frustrations.
“They were not given proper representation by those they elected – constituency offices are non-existent. The agitation for Biafra is just a camouflage, it is a protest against bad leadership,” he noted.
The bishop advised President Buhari not see the agitation as a rebellion on the part of the Igbo as they are committed to the unity of Nigeria.
“The president should try as much as possible to understand that Igbos support his administration. We support his anti-corruption campaign. The federal government should try not to be vindictive,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Bishop Amaechi Agbo, the general overseer of Bethel House of God Mission in Enugu, has warned Buhari that the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, the director of Radio Biafra, would throw Nigeria into crises.
“As for Biafra, it will come to pass but not now. Crisis will force Nigeria to separate from Biafra and nobody can stop it at the appropriate time,” he said.
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