A coalition of Igbo leaders and socio-cultural groups has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to end what they described as a decades-long “economic blockade” of the South-East, citing the closure of major coastal ports since the aftermath of the civil war.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a communique issued on Thursday after a two-day gathering in Asaba, Delta State, the Igbo Unification Movement and ‘Ndi Na Asu Bia’ Socio-Cultural Organisation decried the continued closure of the Port Harcourt, Bonny, and Opobo ports—once vital trade gateways for Eastern Nigeria.
“The President must lift the unfair economic blockade imposed on the Igbo almost 60 years ago. We urge him to dredge, modernise, and functionally reopen those coastal ports to re-trigger a pole of development in the East, with spillover effects to the Middle Belt and even Lake Chad,” the statement read.
The communique, signed by Chief Kingsley Onyenwemmadu Kainebi (President), Ofochi Benjamin Atagana Esq (Secretary/Legal Adviser), and Chief Cosmas Chikeobi Agada (Chairman, Local Organising Committee), stressed the need for unity among all Igbo-speaking groups across Nigeria.
The leaders also called on the federal government to ensure a fairer distribution of infrastructure and projects to Igbo-dominated areas, noting that the region continues to trail behind in development indicators despite its contributions to the nation’s progress.
While Igbo youth leaders at the event thanked President Tinubu for “gradual improvements” in national security, they insisted that “a lot still needs to be done.”
The gathering also endorsed the creation of Anioma State, carved out of the Igbo-speaking parts of Delta State, describing it as an issue of equity and historical justice.
“Creating Anioma State is not just a political demand, it is a question of equity and historical justice for the Igbo-speaking people,” the communique stated.
