“Igbos Are No Longer Marginalised, There’s No Need for Biafra Anymore” — Umahi
The Minister of Works and former Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, has declared that the call for a separate Biafran state is no longer necessary, insisting that the Igbo are now fully integrated into Nigeria’s national development framework.
Umahi made the assertion while inspecting ongoing federal infrastructure projects across the South-East, where he said long-standing feelings of marginalisation had significantly reduced under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, past perceptions of exclusion were a major factor behind separatist agitations in the region. However, he noted that massive investments in road construction and other critical infrastructure have changed the narrative.
“In the past administration, our people felt very much marginalised, and that was the reason some people were agitating for Biafra. But today, we are well integrated into the mainstream of the nation, Nigeria,” Umahi said.
The minister highlighted several key projects either completed or currently underway in the South-East, stressing that the federal government is focused on delivering durable and long-lasting infrastructure. Among the projects listed are the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway, the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway, Section 2B of the Second Niger Bridge, and the 123-kilometre road linking Ndibe Beach in Ebonyi State to the Benue State border. He added that investments in these projects run into hundreds of billions of naira.
Umahi commended President Tinubu for what he described as deliberate efforts to prioritise the South-East, noting that the region is now “comfortable” and “very happy” with the level of federal presence.
He further urged political leaders from the region to pursue relevance and inclusion through strategic engagement rather than emotional rhetoric or divisive sentiments.
Concluding his remarks, Umahi described the present moment as a defining phase for the South-East, saying divine timing has aligned with political opportunity.
“Even those that don’t want us to take our rightful position as South-East people, God has opened the time. This is our time, and this is the time that God has sent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reintegrate our people,” he said.