A situation where the Anioma people, are only good to be used, fight, get maimed, raped and die for Ndigbo without a corresponding recognition and appreciation by our Igbo brethren on the other side of the Niger bridge will no longer be tolerated by my people, going forward.

There is no state or group in the present day South-East that has shown more commitment and/or sacrificed more for the course of Ndigbo before, during and after the genocide and mass murder of Ndigbo called “Nigerian Civil War” of 1966 more than my Anioma people.

Verifiable evidence in this regard abounds and they are incontrovertible.

Even when the so-called civil war was declared as ended in 1970, my people, able-bodied men in their thousands – who trouped out en mass to welcome the “victorious ‘Federal’ army,” in what was declared as a “No Victor no Vanquished,” conflict – were all murdered in cold blood at Asaba in broad day light.

We may have forgiven those involved in this wicked holocaust and mass massacre of our people, not in the war front but, on open ground in their ancestral home. But it is difficult to erase the occurrence from our memories and, all for the sake of Ndigbo.

The scares are still very much evident and some wounds may never heal for eternity. All for our love and association with our Igbo brethren across the Niger bridge!

Preceding this was the atrocious inhuman action of one military commander and his team of the then Nigeria, known as Ramat Murtala Mohammed, who ordered and ensured that the thumbs of every male in our place they could lay hold on were all severed from their hands after raiding the Central Bank of Nigeria in Benin City; just because we stool and fought for Ndigbo Gburugburu. This is still fresh in our memories! Some of the scares are yet to and may never heal – all for the love of Ndigbo outside our territory.

We as a people have been battling and yet to firmly resolve the precarious dual identity imposed on us by the geopolitical configuration of today’s Nigeria and have continued to swallow the insult of “superiority complex” of our fellow Ndigbo of South-East extraction with dignity and equanimity hitherto; but the time, though long overdue, has eventuality been seized now, to call a spade by no other name than what it is.

We shall no longer allow our people to be used only as cannon folders, good only to be used at will and dumped at the pleasure of Ndigbo elsewhere.

History has proven that there is nothing we have gained or may ever stand to gain in continued association with Ndigbo outside Anioma, particularly, the egoistic Ndigbo of South-east extraction. All we can point at are catalogues of woes.

We are perpetually marginalised and discriminated against in the lager society, both at the state and federal levels and, yet, hardly ever accepted in spirit and in truth in the larger settings of Ndigbo. For how long shall we continue to suffer this double jeopardy?

Just recently, one of our own was appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff in this trying times for Ndigbo and Nigeria, but all we got from our supposed fellow Ndigbo of South-east extraction was a sporadic outcry that, oh, he isn't “a proper onye igbo” or “core igbo” because, he isn’t from the South-East; which is akin to the syndrome and dichotomy of “North” and “core North”. Just imagine!

What ordinarily should make us all rejoice and work together as one people for the overall good of Ndigbo and Nigeria; they have always turned upside-down.

Not too long ago, one of our own, my own very distinguished brother, one of the very finest and brightest military officers in our recent history, who, through dint of hard work, excellence, length of service, undiluted commitment with unquestionable loyalty to the country and the special grace of God Almighty, became the Chief of Air Staff and subsequently, the very first Chief Air Marshall in Nigeria, the equivalent of a four-star General in the Army; and, the Chief of Defence Staff that held Nigeria together during the unavoidable absence of the late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua, before the doctrine of necessity was enunciated.

Strangely but expectedly, our Igbo brethren across the Niger bridge never saw this our very outstanding son and the very first Chief Air Marshall in Nigeria as one of them.

No recognition, no accolades, no support whatsoever and, in fact, nothing, bare nothing from South-East!

Yet, our brother creditably distinguished himself on the job and quietly exited the system without any blemish.

More importantly, this our highly distinguished son made it impossible for a military take-over of government again and derail our nascent democratic experiment at that trying time; and his legacy has endured till date.

Many other examples abound even with the personal experiences of yours sincerely.

Recently, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide set the machinery in motion to celebrate the 2021 annual “Iwa-Ji” or “Iri-Ji” that is customarily celebrated as an end of a farming season and the beginning of a new farming season, a kind of “New year” if you like; but, embarrassingly, not even a single member of Ndigbo outside South-East was accorded any iota of participation, recognition and/or involvement in any way from start to finish. Again, I ask, what nonsense is this?

Wednesday, September 29, 2021, was supposed to be celebrated as “Igbo” Day in Abuja; but, guess what? There were factional celebrations in which the factionalised “Ndigbo” groups, both of which are mainly from the South-East, continued to embarrass and bring Ndigbo to public ridicule.

Interestingly, none of the factionalised Ndigbo groups in Abuja even considered it good enough to carry along other Ndigbo outside South-East, particularly notable are Anioma people of Delta State and those in Rivers State, not to mention many Igbo scattered across Edo (Igbanke), Kogi, Benue, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ile-Ife, just to mention a few, in the main scheme of things in a supposedly “Igbo” Day celebration!

What an oddity?

Let it be known that Igbo Day is meant to be celebrated by Ndigbo Gburugburu, irrespective of the accident of place of birth and artificial geographical demarcations.

Igbo Day as ipso facto conceived, isn’t meant for one local chieftain’s agrandisement or a one-man show or a sectional interest as is currently experienced in Abuja.

Igbo day should at the irreducible minimum aim at reminiscences and celebrations of the very diverse but highly rich socio-cultural heritage of Ndigbo, irrespective of the conscriptions and insidious contraptions of State of Origin.

Igbo Day should be able to afford Ndigbo gracious opportunity to display the stuff Ndigbo are made of and proudly so too.

Igbo Day celebrations should not be allowed to degenerate to a sectional Igbo Day merriment and/or ego massaging of a few.

Therefore, let it be known in clear and very unambiguous terms that we, Anioma people, presently domiciled in today’s Delta State are not begging to be recognised as “Onye Igbo.” We are who we are and proudly so.

Onye a julu a gaha julu onwe ya!

We have paid our dues to Ndigbo enough. We have paid the ultimate price with our blood, lives and properties enough.

We have suffered various humiliations, deprivations, dehumanisation, degradation, exclusions, nonexistent dual identity, rejections within, non-acceptance across the divide either way and many other vices enough.

We say enough of this nonsense.

Enough is enough!

Consequently, we are constrained to and hereby humbly give a solemn promise now that, if the negative trends highlighted above, among so many others, are not immediately and properly addressed, arrested, reversed and/or corrected even with open apologies, my people, the Anioma people, shall not hesitate to make needful retreat and withdraw from everything that has anything to do with Ndigbo of South-east extraction forthwith.

This is a sure promise we shall keep if our South-east brethren fail, neglect and/or refuse to retrace their steps and redress the anomalies immediately.

After all, some well-known Igbo kit and kin elsewhere - many of whom are better remembered for the “abandoned properties” saga - have since taken their own destiny in their own hands and have since walked away from a perceived conundrum, and heaven hasn't fallen.

Our humility and simplicity shouldn't be misconstrued for stupidity or taken for granted ad infinitum!

This nonsense must stop!

Igwe bu ike!

•Onyebeadi, Professor and United Nations Fellow, is the Inegbse of Oligbo Kingdom.