Minister of Works, Chief David Umahi has come under blistering condemnation by diaspora Igbo groups for claiming that President Bola Tinubu has put an end to the perceived marginalisation of Ndigbo.
Umahi reportedly urged the Igbo to forget Biafra agitation as, according to him, the federal government had addressed all the challenges of Ndigbo.
But the diaspora groups – the American Veterans of Igbo Descent(AVID), Ambassadors for Self Determination, and the Rising Sun – in a joint statement weekend countered the Works Minister on his “unguarded statement”, saying that he “doesn’t have the mandate to speak for Ndigbo”.
“He(Umahi) should not allocate to himself the powers he does not have. Since he said he does not believe in Biafra, Biafrans also do not believe in traitors like him.
“Nobody is coercing him to join the struggles but he lacks the powers to either speak for the people or stop the movement, the groups said in the statement signed by AVID President, Dr Sylvester Onyia, Ben Nwankwo for Ambassadors for Self Determination, and Maxwell Dede, for the Rising Sun.
The groups noted that they have seen “serial betrayers” of the Igbo cause who are now living in regrets after being used and dumped by their slave masters, adding that Umahi might not be any different.
They reminded the general public that the former governor of Ebonyi State “does not speak for Alaigbo. He does not speak for Biafraland. He speaks only for himself — and not even for everyone in Ebonyi State”.
The groups regarded it as “an insult on the sensibility of Ndigbo for Umahi to claim that Ndigbo are no longer marginalized” and challeged him to substantiate his claims with concrete evidence.
They challenged the Minister of Works to point out what “the Federal Government or Tinubu’s Government (has) done for Alaigbo since Tinubu became President”, adding that Umahi should show the world what Ndigbo have gained under Tinubu’s administration.
“Why is Umuahia – Enugu railway still moribund when Lagos – Kano; and Katsina – Niger Republic tracks are functional? Why is the South East still having only five Ministers with two of them junior Ministers while one state in South West has four Ministers?
“Is Umahi not aware that there’s no seaport in the South East while our people are the highest importers in the country? Do we have any functional cargo airport in Igbo land? Do we have major federal industries or maritime projects?”
The Igbo diaspora groups said that Umahi could not claim ignorance that while “other regions in Nigeria have these things(infrastructures), Alaigbo does not”.
“So, when someone like Umahi tries to speak for Ndigbo, we must ask: what exactly is he defending?”
The groups further threw more posers at Umahi, asking him to provide answers so his claims of no more Igbo marginalisation could be meaningful.
“Why is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu jailed for life when the real terrorists and mass motherers are freely roaming around and treated with levity?
“Kanu was jailed with the support of Britain and a few Nigerian politicians like Umahi who have chosen personal comfort over justice.
“That is why people are angry. That is why people feel betrayed. Anyone who helps to keep Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in detention is working against the Igbo people. Umahi should realize that saboteurs will always be on the wrong side of history”.
The Igbo diaspora groups recalled that during persecution of Jews in Europe, some Jews denied being Jews to protect themselves, adding that sudh denials “did not stop the suffering. And it did not stop the creation of Israel in 1948”.
“So when Umahi denies Biafra today, it is not new. Betrayal by local people has happened before. It has never stopped history,” 4he statement said.
Alluding that the agitation for the sovereign state of Biafra has come to stay and could not be diminished by Igbo politicians striving to be politically correct, the groups noted that “Biafra is Bigger than Umahi”.
“The Biafra struggle is not about Umahi. It is not about appointments. It is not about pleasing Abuja. It is about justice, dignity, and self-respect. People may try to sabotage it. They will fail”.
The groups called for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, saying that “it is a simple a clear demand” which must be met if the federal authorities are sincere of giving Ndigbo a true sense of belonging.
“Anything else is deception. Umahi should not give us reason to suspect he is one of those frustrating Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s release,” the groups said.
