The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to issue a formal apology and pay ₦10 trillion in compensation to the Igbo people following revelations by former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) in his book, A Journey in Service.
Babangida’s book refutes long-standing claims that the January 1966 coup was an Igbo-led conspiracy. He revealed that the coup plotters’ primary goal was to free Chief Obafemi Awolowo from prison and install him as Prime Minister. The book also highlights the involvement of non-Igbo officers, including Major Adewale Ademoyega, Captain Ganiyu Adeleke, and Lieutenants Fola Oyewole and Olafimihan, disproving the notion that the coup served Igbo interests.
Additionally, Babangida pointed out that some senior Igbo officers were also victims of the coup, such as Lt-Col. Arthur Chinyelu Unegbe, who was executed by fellow officer Major Chris Anuforo. He further emphasized that the coup was crushed by an Igbo officer, Major John Obienu, reinforcing the argument that it was not an ethnic uprising but a failed military intervention with specific political motives.
Ohanaeze's Reaction
In response, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, through its Deputy National President, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, stated that the misrepresentation of the coup had catastrophic consequences for the Igbo people, leading to the Nigeria-Biafra War and the loss of approximately three million lives, mostly innocent women and children.
The group insisted that the apology and compensation are necessary due to the historical injustices, systemic marginalization, and economic neglect the Igbo have suffered since Nigeria’s creation. They cited issues such as:
Political exclusion, including deliberate obstacles preventing an Igbo presidency.
Economic suppression, with the closure of the Calabar seaport and the lack of functional international airports in the Southeast.
Discriminatory policies, including the quota system that limits Igbo representation.
Ohanaeze’s Official Statement
In an official statement, Ohanaeze Ndigbo expressed gratitude to Gen. Ibrahim Babangida for his courage in correcting historical narratives, calling his declaration a significant step toward justice and reconciliation.
The statement read:
“The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, extends its profound appreciation to General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) for his remarkable courage in officially declaring that the January 1966 coup was unequivocally not an Igbo coup.
“This pivotal acknowledgement is not merely a correction of historical nomenclature but a significant moment in our collective pursuit of justice and reconciliation, signaling a potential end to the historical vindictiveness and cruelty that have been pervasive in Federal Government policies towards the Igbo Nation.
“His forthright exemption of the Igbo from the egregious classification as enemies of the Northern region in the aftermath of the coup is both timely and necessary, even if it arrives decades later.
“The mislabeling of the January 1966 coup has unleashed disastrous repercussions upon the Igbo people, most tragically culminating in the July 1966 counter-coup, which decimated a military Head of State of Igbo descent.
“The staggering loss of life, with approximately three million Igbos—predominantly innocent women and children—slaughtered during this conflict, continues to reverberate through our collective consciousness.
“Furthermore, even in the post-Biafra era, the Igbo Nation continues to grapple with systemic injustices, evidenced by acute marginalization that leaves us with the smallest representation of states within the Nigerian federation.
“The political conspiracies designed to deny the Igbo the rights to ascend to the highest office in the land—Nigeria’s Presidency—the chronic economic neglect symbolized by the closure of the Calabar seaport, the inoperative state of several ports in Igbo land, the implementation of a discriminatory quota system, and the conspicuous absence of functional international airports in the Southeast starkly illustrate the Federal Government’s long-standing policy of exclusion.
“In light of these egregious injustices and the deliberate neglect exhibited by successive administrations, Ohanaeze Ndigbo hereby restates its demands, as articulated previously during the Justice Oputa-led Judicial Commission for the Investigation of Human Rights Violations Panel in 1999.
“We assert that the Nigerian Federal Government, under General Yakubu Gowon, conducted indiscriminate and unjustified bombardments in Igbo territory during the Nigeria-Biafra War, resulting in overwhelming loss of life. These historical realities establish an irrefutable case for the reparations we seek.
“The present Federal Government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, must recognize this moment as an opportunity to extend a public and unequivocal apology on behalf of previous military regimes. Our demand for ₦10 trillion in reparations remains steadfast.
“This figure is not arbitrary but a symbolic recognition of the indelible losses the Igbo people have endured. The time has come for true acknowledgment of these historical wrongs, which can only be rectified through both reparations and sincere apologies.”
Call for Justice and Recognition
Ohanaeze emphasized that Babangida’s revelation has forced Nigerians to confront the injustices inflicted upon the Igbo people. The group remains firm in its demand for financial compensation and a formal apology, stating that the ₦10 trillion reparations request is a symbolic acknowledgment of the immense losses suffered by the Igbo community.
The organization urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take concrete steps toward reconciliation by officially addressing the historical grievances and ensuring that the Igbo people are fully integrated into Nigeria’s political and economic framework.
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