The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), the youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has described as unfortunate, the statement credited to Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, who claimed in a national television programme that Ndigbo are not marginalised.

While reacting to Umahi’s comment in Abakaliki on Friday 18, the National President of OYC, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka regretted that the governor appears fixated on impressing some powerful blocs for political convenience.

Comrade Igboayaka noted that marginalization is an understatement compared to the harrowing ordeal of Ndigbo in the Nigeria project, stressing that Ndigbo have crossed the line of marginalization and entered into political oppression 50 years after the genocide against Ndigbo by the British and Nigeria governments.

He pointed to the absence of seaport in Igboland as part of the evidence of marginalisation.

His words: “Gov. Umahi seems to be lacking sense of history about the Igbo political ordeal in Nigeria. It appears the removal of history from the Nigerian education curriculum affected Gov. Umahi even more than the new generation.

“Gov. Umahi either has a poor definition of marginalization or suffering sentimentalism that have eaten deep into his human reasoning on the past and present realities on ground about Ndigbo.”

Igboayaka added that “the unguided utterances of Gov. Umahi is part of the reason the agitation for self-determination of over 97% of Igbo new generation has gone out of control from the Igbo political elites. Gov. Umahi using the appointment of the Service Chiefs of Maj. Gen. Irabor an Igbo origin from Delta to justify that Igbos are not marginalized was quiet very childish, unjust and a pure anti-Igbo comment.

“Does Gov. Umahi really move around Igbo land to see the level of economic and infrastructural decay in Igbo land? Have Gov. Umahi gone to Oziza River in Afikpo, a potential Seaport neglected and abandoned by the Nigeria Government? Does Umahi know that Oziza River linked to Calabar sea and by extension to the Atlantic Ocean? Does he know that Afikpo and Abakaliki can became a business hub in Igbo land if Oziza river is dredge, and maritime business is commenced there which will lift over five hundred thousand people out of poverty and make over hundred Ebonyi youths gainfully employed?

“Has the governor gone to Azumini Blue River and Obuaku River in Ukwa East of Abia state? A potential Seaport with 25-30 nautical miles to the Atlantic ocean which if dredged and maritime business commenced there, Aba will turn to a rounding point of industrial hub in West Africa.

“Has Gov. Umahi also gone to Ihiala Ulasi River Oseakwa/Oguta Osemotor River that has only 18 nautical miles to Atlantic Ocean, the deepest natural river in Nigeria with over 20 meter deep without dredging? Has Umahi questioned why this project was abandoned since 1957 it was discovered by the Bristish/Nigeria government?

“Has Umahi forgotten that he grew up to see railway in Afikpo, why is none of the railways in Alaigbo functional today? Is Gov. Umahi not aware that the federal government recently awarded and completed modern railway double gauge for the North and South-west, and awarded single gauge that is no longer used in any part of the world to Ndigbo?

“Which dictionary did Gov. Umahi picked the definition of marginalization from?” Igboayaka queried.
“Is Gov. Umahi not aware that the federal government signed a contract of $2.8b gas project to Northern Nigeria yet Alaigbo that produces the gas has no single gas pipeline?

“Who taught Umahi in school, who were his primary and secondary school teachers? Was he not taught with examples, the meaning of marginalization?” Igboayaka further queried

Comrade Igboayaka further warned Umahi to stop opening the wounds, and hitting the untreated wounds of the predicaments and travails of Ndigbo in the failed Nigerian project if he has no intention of proffering credible solution or ideas, stressing that Igbos are not only being marginalized but oppressed and killed by the Nigerian government through its security agents.