The Ohanaeze Youth Council has urged Igbos in the South-East to prepare for an eventual exit from Nigeria, citing marginalisation, insecurity, and unresolved post-war injustices, while calling for a referendum and the release of Nnamdi Kanu
Ohanaeze Youth Council Urges Igbos to Prepare for ‘Eventual Exit’ from Nigeria
The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has called on Igbos in Nigeria’s South-East to begin preparations for what it described as an “eventual exit” from Nigeria, citing decades of marginalisation, unresolved post-civil war injustices, insecurity, and the alleged failure of the Nigerian state.
The call was made in a New Year message issued on January 1, 2026, by the National President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, Igboayaka Igboayaka, who said the new year must mark a decisive turning point for the Igbo people.
“As we enter a new year, truth must be spoken plainly and without fear,” Igboayaka said, adding that “Ndigbo have prolonged their suffering in Nigeria like the Jews in Egypt.”
He urged Igbos to “stop dying in Nigeria” and begin preparing “mentally, politically, economically, and diplomatically” for departure from what he described as a hostile and broken system.
Post-Civil War Grievances
Tracing the roots of Igbo marginalisation, Igboayaka said the situation dates back to the aftermath of the 1967–1970 Nigerian Civil War, arguing that the reconciliation programme announced by then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, amounted to continued punishment rather than healing.
He cited the post-war economic policy that returned £20 to Igbo citizens regardless of the amount they held before the war, describing it as a symbol of economic dispossession.
According to him, the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation (3Rs) programme was never implemented in Igboland.
“The 3Rs programme was never implemented in any part of Igboland or Biafra territory,” he said.
Rise of Pro-Biafra Movements
The OYC president said the emergence of pro-Biafra movements, including MASSOB and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was a natural response to unresolved injustices.
“It did not arise out of hatred or rebellion for its own sake, but from decades of exclusion, broken promises, and denial of dignity,” he said.
He also condemned the arrest and continued detention of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, describing it as an “extraordinary rendition” and a violation of international law.
Igboayaka called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to grant Kanu unconditional release, saying such a move would help restore Nigeria’s image globally.
Nigeria Described as Failed State
Describing Nigeria as a country overwhelmed by corruption, insecurity and economic decay, Igboayaka alleged large-scale looting by political elites and said the country had lost the moral authority to preach unity and patriotism.
According to him, Igbos continue to face political marginalisation, economic targeting and routine profiling across Nigeria, leaving “no clear hope or future for an Igbo man within the Nigerian political system.”
2027 Elections and Referendum Campaign
Calling on Igbo youths to “rise with purpose and clarity,” the OYC leader announced that the council would intensify political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We must retire all political saboteurs and oppressors in Igboland in 2027,” he said.
He added that elected representatives from the region must support calls for a referendum or plebiscite as a democratic right of the people.
Igboayaka disclosed that the Ohanaeze Youth Council will lead a major campaign throughout 2026 for a referendum on self-determination, insisting that the right of a people to freely determine their political future is recognised under international law.
Rejecting what he described as Nigeria’s “forced and involuntary unity,” he said:
“Unity without justice is oppression, and unity without consent is occupation.”
Call for Community Vigilance
The OYC president also called on traditional rulers, town union presidents, and youth leaders across Igboland to collaborate in forming vigilante groups to protect lives and property amid rising insecurity.
He warned against the use of force against those campaigning for a referendum, cautioning that any form of brutality would be resisted and that a repeat of civil-war-era violence must be avoided.
“This new year must mark a decisive shift,” he said, adding that history would remember “those who spoke when silence was convenient and those who acted when fear was fashionable.”
