The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, has said that the marginalisation of the region by successive administrations necessitated agitation by the youths for a sovereign state of Biafra.

Speaking at the forum of leaders of the South-South and South-East geo-political zones at the weekend, Nwodo noted that he aspired for a country where every part would be fully involved and the future generation would have a better country than the present generation.

“Our children are agitating. Our children do not want to be part of this country anymore because they feel that we are second-class citizens and because they feel that their parents are incapable of standing out for them.
“They want the Republic of Biafra because most of them feel they are discriminated against and are not equal with others,” he said. He, however, noted that the country was better as one, as the impact of war on any country can never be over-emphasised
“We think that in the African continent, our size is our asset. We have built a brotherhood over the years since 1960 and we cannot break. “Consequently, we have to put our heads together and find a better federal structure, a constitutional structure, which gives every part of this country satisfaction. In weeks and few months to come, the socio-cultural organisations will come together to seek an end to this impending catastrophe,” he stated.

Host of the meeting, an elder statesman and Ijaw National Leader, Chief Edwin Clark, canvassed for an egalitarian society where everyone would be equal because the country belongs to everyone.

“We are far away from the kind of country our founding-fathers bequeathed to us. At independence in 1960, the Richard’s Constitution spelt out what Nigeria should be – a Federal Republic with three regions – North, East and West as the components. Each of the regions is equal and each is allowed to develop at its own pace. But today, the reverse is the case,”