By Chinonso Alozie

Owerri- The Igbo-Biafra Nationalists, on Monday called on the South East region to take legal and political action to end the marginalization of the zone by the Nigeria government.

The Convener of the pro-Biafra group, Uche Mefor, disclosed this to newsmen in Owerri.

Parts of the areas the group demanded for collaborative efforts towards ending Igbo marginalization and total restructuring of the country include but not limited to dismantling of road blocks in the South East region used as extortion by corrupt security forces, development of seaports and airports in the region, political inclusion among others.

Mefor said: “The Igbo people in Nigeria have faced political and economic marginalization, with historical events like the civil war, policies such as the 20 pounds flat fee refund, the Indigenization Decree, manipulated population census, and lack of infrastructure like seaports and an international airport in the Igbo region contributing to their disadvantage.

“The Igbo-Biafra Nationalists and the Indigenous people of Igbo Nation for self-determination demand the following solutions to address the marginalization of the Igbo people: creation of more state(s) in the South-East, restructuring Nigeria in such a way that the South-East, the Igbo-Biafrans, would be in a regional or confederate arrangement or relationship with the federal government, integrated development focusing on infrastructure (seaports, airports), dismantling of roadblocks used for extortion by corrupt security forces, prohibition and punishment of rogue security personnel carrying out extra-judicial killings of Igbo youths, mechanised agriculture, energy, and education, to enhance economic growth and political inclusion for the South-Easterners.”

To achieve this, the pro-Igbo group called on the South East region elected representatives, stakeholders as well as Ohanaeze Ndigbo World-wide to take “Legal and Political Action: We urge elected representatives from the South-East, in collaboration with Ohaneze Ndigbo, to pursue robust legal and political actions. This includes initiating legal proceedings against the federal government and sponsoring bills in the National Assembly to address the grievances of the South-East.

“International Engagement: Should the Nigerian government employ delaying tactics or fail to address our concerns, the elected representative should without delay be prepared to escalate the matter to regional and international bodies such as ECOWAS, the African Commission, the United Nations, and the International Court of Justice.

“Accountability and Responsible Governance: Elected representatives from the South-East must utilize revenue allocations and constituency allowances judiciously. It is imperative that these funds are directed towards infrastructure development, provision of social amenities, payment of civil servants and pensioners, and overall improvement of living standards for South-Easterners,” the group said.