The forced amalgamation of Nigeria by the colonial masters without the consent of the people, have been blamed for the agitations for self-determination by various groups in the country including the renewed agitation for Biafra restoration as championed by the detained Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

A group of Igbo clerics known as Concerned Igbo Ministers stated this in a press statement signed by its President General/International Coordinator, Rev. Tony Uzo Anthony; and Secretary General, Apostle Tony Osuji.

The group which blamed Britain for Nigeria’s fundamental problems as a result of the forced union, said Nigeria was created for the economic and administrative convenience of Britain.

The statement read: “The agitation for self-determination, as championed by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu through IPOB, underscores a fundamental truth: Nigeria’s creation in 1914 was not a union born of mutual consent but a colonial construct imposed by Britain for administrative and economic convenience.

“Lord Frederick Lugard’s amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates disregarded the profound ethnic, religious, and socio-cultural differences between these regions, forging an artificial nation that has struggled for cohesion ever since.

“The North, rooted in feudalism and indirect rule; and the South, shaped by Western education and urbanization, were set on divergent paths that entrenched suspicion and inequality.”

The group regretted that the political class which ought to have corrected the flaws after independence, rather decided to exploit the gap for their selfish gains.

“Post-independence, rather than bridging these divides, Nigeria’s political elite exploited ethnicity, widening the fractures in our federation. The result has been persistent discord,

undermining the promise of unity.”

On the way forward, the group called for immediate convocation of a national dialogue of all the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria to birth a new union of inclusivity devoid of mutual suspicion that has bedeviled the British 1914 creation.

The group stressed the need for a sincere dialogue among the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria that could foster national unity and peace.

The statement read in part:”We call for Nigerians to come together in a peaceful, inclusive dialogue to define the country they want—one grounded in

mutual respect for our diversity and shared humanity.

“Only through such a process can we address the flaws of our foundation and build a nation or nations that truly reflect the aspirations of all its peoples. This is the irrefutable truth and pretending otherwise is only postponing the doomsday.”

The group also renewed its demand for the unconditional release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, arguing that the agitation for self determination which he champions was borne out of the inherent lopsidedness in Nigeria’s forced amalgamation by Britain.

The Ministers urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to heed the growing calls for a political solution to Kanu’s matter, arguing that his release will foster national unity and cohesion.



https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/04/agitation-for-biafra-triggered-by-nigerias-amalgamation-flaws-igbo-clerics/