A renowned scholar, author and activist, Prof. Okey Anueyiagu, has lamented the ordeal of the South East, describing it as the most disadvantaged in terms of federal appointments and projects.

He made the lamentation in a recent essay entitled “Killing Biafra, Again”, observing; “That the South East, since after the war, remained the most disadvantaged in terms of appointments to federal posts. That the South East is the least in Federal cash transfers and benefits, and the least amongst the other zones in the NELFUND program and many other Federal Government funded programs. That the Federal Government Renewed Hope Housing policy is nearly absent in the South East. That the Federal Government made an

Appropriation for a N383 billion Irrigation Development program, wherein a Zone within the same country got N66 billion, and the South East was excluded.

“That there is not a single South Easterner (Igbo) in the recently appointed Census Committee. That despite the turnout of highly qualified South East (Igbo) graduates, most of them remain unemployed and despondent. That the list of the deprivations is very long, and shamefully, cannot all be listed here.”

Dr. Anueyiagu, a Professor of Political Economy, noted that “the reality of the absence of equality, equity and fairness in our country is a tragedy of no small proportion.”

According to him in the essay released late last month, may 2025, “When a country and its people after fighting a devastating war that brought and inflicted much suffering to the people from the East, continue to deal in injustices and travesties against its own citizens, I must predict that we have not learnt any lessons, and lack the courage to challenge our country’s insidious past and the iniquities that came with it. With the strength and resilience of the people of the former Biafra remaining consistent in the face of the tragedy of the persecution they encountered, we must worry about the shame that overwhelmingly continues to destroy our country. It is difficult not to observe the enormous missed opportunities that have unraveled before our eyes.”

Pointing out the consequences of the Igbo, Anueyiagu wrote: “Many misguided Nigerians embrace, and encourage negative actions taken against the Igbo as they are targeted at Killing Biafra. How many times will they kill that Biafra? History has shown that such wicked actions toward the Igbo, will do them no irreparable harm. Instead, it will continue to damage and erode the growth and development of Nigeria, and speedily hasten its fall to infamy. This fact is evident in the way the Igbo bounced back into contention after the war that nearly exterminated the entire tribe. For this, and for many other reasons, it is in our collective interest to reflect and capture the resilience and ingenuity of the Igbo, and bring them back into the fold of governance, imbibing their spirit of hard work, and using these attributes to forge a united front that will liberate Nigeria from disintegration and disunity.”

The author of the acclaimed book, “Biafra, The Horrors of War, The Story of A Child Soldier”, noted that “Killing Biafra has become a metaphor for Nigeria’s crucifixion of the Igbo.” This, according to him, “is clear evidence of how we have refused to accept our fate as one people that must learn that while being created differently, we must live peacefully together. The Igbo people had no choice in being Biafrans, and they had no choice also in the pains and agonies of that war. The only choice and remedy for these sins of Nigeria, is to obtain the courage to confront its evilness, repent of them, and embrace God for forgiveness.”

Prof. Anueyiagu, however, sees a glimmer of hope in some of the activities of President Bola Tinubu, especially with regard to the recent establishment of the South East Development Commission. “Perhaps” he wrote, “President Bola Tinubu, coming off the much criticized lopsided ethnicization of this government, has discovered a balance in his establishment of the South East Development Commission through which he has promised to correct the ills of the past by tackling the many problems of the Igbo since the war ended. If Bola Tinubu will comply with his plans to reactivate the Gas Plan, tackle erosion, rebuild the dilapidated road and other infrastructural decays, integrate the region into the national rail systems, amongst fixing the many problems that have bedeviled the zone, he could be starting a new beginning in building a sustained and united nation of equal partners in nation building and development.”