United States-based Igbo groups have rejected claims by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, that the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu has addressed the marginalisation of Ndigbo, describing such assertions as “insulting, misleading and self-serving.”

In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the groups said Umahi lacks the authority to speak on behalf of the Igbo people and should not project his personal political views as a collective Igbo position.

“Our attention has been drawn to an unguarded statement by Senator David Umahi that Ndigbo should forget Biafra agitation because the federal government has addressed all the challenges of Ndigbo,” the statement read. “We wish to remind him that he does not have the mandate to speak for Ndigbo. He should not allocate to himself powers he does not have.”

The statement was signed by Dr Sylvester Onyia, President of the American Veterans of Igbo Descent; Ben Nwankwo for Ambassadors for Self-Determination; and Maxwell Dede for The Rising Sun.

The groups accused Umahi of attempting to delegitimise longstanding grievances in the South-East while aligning himself with the political establishment in Abuja.

“Since he said he does not believe in Biafra, Biafrans also do not believe in traitors like him,” they said. “Nobody is coercing him to join the struggle, but he lacks the powers to stop it or speak for the people.”

They maintained that claims of an end to Igbo marginalisation were far removed from reality, questioning what concrete benefits the South-East has received under the Tinubu administration.

“It is an insult on the sensibility of Ndigbo for Umahi to claim that we are no longer marginalised,” the groups stated. “Since Tinubu became president, what exactly has Alaigbo gained?”

They cited what they described as persistent infrastructural neglect, including the continued abandonment of the Umuahia–Enugu railway line, while rail projects such as Lagos–Kano and Katsina–Niger Republic are operational.

“Why is the Umuahia–Enugu railway still moribund when other regions enjoy functional rail lines?” they asked. “Why does the South-East still have only five ministers, with two of them being junior ministers, while a single state in the South-West has four ministers?”

The groups also lamented the absence of a functional seaport and cargo airport in the South-East, despite the region’s commercial importance.

“Is Umahi not aware that there is no seaport in the South-East, even though our people are the highest importers in the country?” the statement said. “Do we have any functional cargo airport, major federal industries or maritime projects? Other regions do. Alaigbo does not.”

On the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the groups described his incarceration as emblematic of injustice against the Igbo people.

“Why is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu jailed while real terrorists and mass murderers roam freely and are treated with levity?” they asked. “Anyone who helps to keep Kanu in detention is working against the Igbo people.”

They alleged that Kanu’s detention has the backing of foreign interests and some Nigerian politicians who, according to them, have chosen “personal comfort over justice.”

“That is why people are angry. That is why people feel betrayed,” the statement added.

The groups also criticised the formation of the Ebube Agu regional security outfit, accusing its promoters of enabling abuses in parts of the South-East and demanding accountability.

“Those who created Ebube Agu should be held accountable for the atrocities committed in Igbo land, which are often wrongly blamed on IPOB and ESN,” they said.

Reaffirming their stance, the groups insisted that the agitation for Biafra transcends individual politicians and political appointments.

“Biafra is bigger than Umahi,” they declared. “The struggle is not about appointments or pleasing Abuja. It is about justice, dignity and self-respect.”

They concluded with a direct message to the minister and the Federal Government: “Dave Umahi does not speak for Ndi Igbo. He speaks only for himself. Our demand remains simple and clear: release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Anything else is deception.” (Saturday Independent)