Biafran Agitation & Nigeria’s Injustices Against Igbos.
The author would start from 1970 to list the Nigerian State, well designed injustices against the Igbos. Perhaps why Igbos agitate. Quoting Ribadu, “Where you have injustice, you will have rebellion”.
1.The £20 policy: Every Igbo man or woman was given £20 after the civil ended in 1970, despite the amount of money, such a person had in the bank before/during the war.
2.Indigenization Decree of 1972. The then federal government nationalised most foreign companies in Nigeria. They sold share of these nationalised companies, when the Igbos had not found their feet, due to the war.
3.In 1976, the area of Ndoki South, present day Oyigbo area in Rivers State was transferred from old Aba Division and given to Rivers State. This is an oil producing community, originally belonging to old Imo State.
4. Parts of Egbema communities in Imo States, with large oil deposits were carved out and given to Rivers States.
5. On September 28th 1979, two (2) days to his hand over to President Shehu Shagari, General Obasanjo signed the Abandoned Properties Decree No 90 of 1979 into Law. By this decree, Igbos lost all the houses/properties they abandoned during the war in Port Harcourt. Igbos ran home from Port Harcourt, during the war. In the process, they left their properties. They never got back these properties, courtesy of federal government decree.
6. On 1st October 1979, the 1979 constitution became effective. This was the first time federal character principle was introduced into the Nigerian law books. Part of this federal character principle required, every Igbo person, to score the highest mark (higher than every other tribe),in order to gain admission into any federal government schools. Same approach was adopted in federal government employments etc. See an example of federal government secondary schools admission in 2013 below.
6a. Abia – Male (130) Female (130), Adamawa- (Male 62) Female (62), Akwa Ibom (Male 123) Female (123), Anambra-(Male 139) Female (139), Bauchi – Male(35) Female(35),Bayelsa – Male(72) Female(72),Benue – Male(111) Female(111),Borno – Male(45) Female(45),Cross-Rivers – Male(97) Female(97),Delta – Male(131) Female(131),Ebonyi – Male(112) Female(112),Edo – Male(127) Female(127),Ekiti – Male(119) Female(119),Enugu – Male(134) Female(134),Gombe – Male(58) Female(58),Imo – Male(138) Female(138),Jigawa – Male(44) Female(44),Kaduna – Male(91) Female (91),Kano – Male(67) Female(67),Kastina – Male(60) Female(60),Kebbi – Male(9) Female(20),Kogi – Male(119) Female(119),Kwara – Male(123) Female(123),Lagos – Male(133) Female(133),Nassarawa – Male(58) Female(58),Niger – Male(93) Female(93),Ogun – Male(131) Female(131),Ondo – Male(126) Female(126),Osun – Male(127) Female(127),Oyo – Male(127) Female(127),Plateau – Male(97) Female(97),Rivers – Male(118) Female(118),Sokoto – Male(9) Female(13),Taraba – Male(3) Female(11),Yobe – Male(2) Female(27),Zamfara – Male(4) Female(2),FCT Abuja – Male(90) Female(90). http://www.nairaland.com/1300606/cut-off-marks-2013-national-common
A careful study of the above will reveal to you that cut off marks for South East States, were the highest. These have been going on for decades.
7. In the 1980’s, some villages were carved out of Ndoki, from then Imo State and joined with Akwa Ibom State.
8. There is no federal government industry in the South East. This is despite the fact, that 3 South East States (Abia, Anambra, Imo), are oil producing states and Igbos are scattered all over the country paying taxes to host States and federal government.
9. Till date, South East remains the only zone with five states. Other geo political zones have either six or seven states. Your states determines the number of senators, ministers, other appointments, recruitments into the civil service, military, paramilitary, monthly allocations etc that comes to your zone.
10. In 1998, every rule was bent in PDP, so as to make way for Obasanjo to emerge, when it became obvious that Ekwueme was likely going to win the PDP ticket. Atiku, IBB etc spearheaded this moves.
Having listed the injustices, it is the authors view, that to redress the above, requires diplomatic, political and judicial processes.
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C.V.Akuta
UK.
17/11/15.
