The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has urged Igbo people across the world to end agitations for a separate Biafran nation, arguing that the administration of President Bola Tinubu has addressed long-standing grievances through inclusion and integration.
Umahi said the Tinubu administration had given Ndigbo what they had sought for decades, not through secession, but through what he described as unprecedented inclusion in national governance and development.
The minister spoke late on Saturday during an inspection tour of ongoing mega projects on the Enugu–Anambra Road, where he addressed stakeholders, contractors and community leaders.
He explained that the agitation for Biafra was historically driven by neglect, exclusion and underrepresentation at the federal level, but insisted that the situation had changed under the current administration.
“When a people are fully integrated, respected and empowered within the structure of the nation, the dream they once chased through agitation has already been achieved through cooperation,” Umahi said.
“The push for Biafran secession over the years was borne out of neglect, exclusion and underrepresentation, but today the narrative has changed dramatically under President Bola Tinubu.
“The President has deliberately opened the doors of national development to the South-East. Appointments, policy inputs and infrastructure priorities now reflect true federal balance.”
Umahi said the South-East had received what he described as its full quota in national appointments, citing his position as Minister of Works alongside other key roles occupied by Igbo appointees in the current administration.
“Every sector now bears visible Igbo footprints. The emergence of Igbo sons and daughters in strategic positions is a testament to this inclusion,” he said.
He added that major infrastructure projects were springing up across all five states of the South-East, many of which had previously been considered unattainable.
According to him, these developments explain why governors such as Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, and other leaders in the region have aligned with the APC-led Federal Government.
“Biafra was never about breaking Nigeria; it was about being counted in Nigeria,” Umahi said.
“Through inclusion, equity and concrete development, Ndigbo are no longer spectators in the Nigerian project; they are co-authors of its future. When justice finds a people, agitation loses its voice.”
The minister reiterated that the South-East should rally behind President Tinubu, whom he said had demonstrated rare commitment to the region through massive investments in infrastructure.
He recalled that in September, during an inspection of the dualisation of the Enugu–Benue highway at Ninth Mile Corner, Enugu State, he declared that the Tinubu administration had “remembered the South-East” and deserved overwhelming support.
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