D. GOV

Nigeria is a blessed nation with many ethnic groups, with different believes, and how they run there daily affairs. But one thing that bring us all together is the name Nigeria.
If any region, tribe feels they are not welcomed in it, is never true. The Igbo people were the first and trusted persons to hold Nigeria after independence, even untill the military era in nigeria begun, they were on the front. But some situations carried out by some persons among them broke that trust.

On 15 January 1966, Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu led the first ever military coup in Nigeria. The coup plotters claimed they wanted a better and united Nigeria that offered equal opportunity to its citizens without regional or ethnic considerations and nepotism, large-scale looting of public wealth, persistent poverty of the people, insecurity, the Tiv riots and the western region’s consistent violent protests.

This coup brought in an igbo officer Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, he abrogated the federal system of government and substituted a unitary system in 1966, which reinforced northerner’s fears that the southerners could take control of everything.

The jubilations that initially made the coup carried to quickly give other riegions warnin, was after a sudden realisation of the sectional and imbalanced composition of the coup leaders, as well as the nature of the assassination and killings of prominent politicians and military officers as a result of the coup. The coup planners were Kaduna Nzeogwu (Igbo), Adewale Ademoyega (Yoruba), Emmanuel Ifeajuna (Igbo), Timothy Onwuatuegwu (Igbo), Chris Anuforo (Igbo), Humphrey Chukwuka (Igbo), Don Okafor (Igbo), Ben Gbulie (Igbo), Emmanuel Nwobosi (Igbo) and Ogbo Oji (Igbo).6 Nine of the 10 coup initiators were Igbo from the then eastern region of Nigeria, and one Yoruba from the western region. The coup resulted in the assassination of Ahmadu Bello (Fulani), the premier of northern Nigeria; Samuel Ládòkè Akíntọ́lá (Yoruba), the premier of the western region; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (Baggara), prime minister of Nigeria; and Festus Okotie-Eboh (Itshekiri), federal minister of finance. The senior officers who were assassinated during the coup were Zakariya Maimalari (Kanuri), Samuel Ademulegun (Yoruba), Abogo Largema (Kanuri), James Pam (Berom), Arthur Unegbe (Igbo) and Ralph Shodeinde (Yoruba).7 Although the coup might have been planned with the best of intentions, its outcome looked to target mostly non-Igbo ethnic groups. While leaders from the northern, western and mid-western regions were killed during the coup, no Igbo leaders were assassinated. Nnamdi Azikiwe (Igbo), president of Nigeria, had at the time gone on a prolonged medical trip to London.8

The coup succeeded in Kaduna (the northern region capital), failed in Lagos (the federal capital) and Ibadan (the western regional capital) and barely took place in Benin (the mid-western capital) and Enugu (the eastern capital). In the absence of the prime minister, acting president Nwafor Orizu was compelled to hand over to the military, which was headed at the time by General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, an officer from the eastern region.

With the above statistics you could see why many regions have to fear living power, especially the seat of a president, in the hands of an Igbo politician.

The above history, i used it as a reference to take us back to what the western region and northern part fear about east. Most have been forgotten, but continues agitations would keep rising them. Even in America, some Americans wish they were born as British and vice versa, but yet they all hold on to what they got.

Recall that Nigrian-British Nnamdi Kanu created the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group. He advice his fellow easterners not to vote or even go for a voters card.
It is not uncommon for groups who have fought and lost a secession war to nurse desires for independence. Shared victimhood makes for easy mobilisation of support. The Igbos continued to feel alienated from Nigeria after the civil war. They believed they had been excluded from the political and socio-economic mainstream of the country, and the clamour for a separate existence from Nigeria continued to gain momentum. This eventually led to the establishment of different movements.

this movements created are the major set back of the eastern region especially the igbo ethnic group. It is hindering them from attaining the height they wished for, in nigeria politics.

Yet the igbo complains of been treated bad, not allowing them rule the country. But did they forget we need votes to win an election?.

Atiku would have won or even have more votes than what he had in the last presidential election, if the igbo people had enough voters card to vote. They were been deceived, and yet they complain of bad treatments.

Untill they realize that holding there unity, coming together will make them attain those heights they wished for in Nigerians political system.

It is important to note that there are many contradictions in the motives for the Biafran agitation. Some people use it as bargaining chips and some for personal gains, while some sincerely want secession. A good majority of Igbos in the south-east and other parts of the country do not support the movement, and would rather have a fair and equitable Nigeria than a separate state of Biafra.