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Ohanaeze Backs Umahi’s ‘Tinubu Is the Biafra’ Remark, Knocks Gowon’s Historical Claims
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has clarified that the recent statement credited to the Minister of Works, Dave Nweze Umahi, describing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “the Biafra Ndigbo has been looking for,” was a collectively authorized position by Igbo leaders and not a personal opinion.
In a statement issued on May 27, 2026, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization said Umahi’s remarks emerged from a strategic closed-door consultation held in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, involving Southeast governors, former governors, ministers, prominent political leaders, and Ohanaeze leadership.
According to the group, the meeting resolved to formally appreciate President Tinubu for what it described as visible efforts toward addressing decades of infrastructural neglect, economic exclusion, and marginalization experienced by the Southeast since the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970.
Ohanaeze stated that successive administrations between 1970 and 2023 allegedly failed to adequately address infrastructural decay and developmental challenges in the region, especially the condition of federal roads and economic infrastructure.
The organization noted that the current administration’s appointment of Umahi as Minister of Works created an opportunity for renewed attention to infrastructure development across the Southeast.
It also highlighted the elevation of Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, wife of late Biafran leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, from Minister of State for Foreign Affairs to substantive Minister of Foreign Affairs as a symbolic step toward inclusion and reconciliation.
Ohanaeze further claimed that ongoing federal road projects reportedly valued at over ₦1.5 trillion across the Southeast have reinforced perceptions that the Tinubu administration is making deliberate efforts to address longstanding infrastructural challenges in the region.
The group stressed that Umahi’s comment should not be sensationalized or interpreted in ways capable of provoking ethnic tensions.
The organization also cautioned commentators and sections of the media against politicizing the history of the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War, insisting that the experiences and losses suffered during the conflict remain painful realities for many Igbos.
In the statement signed by Okechukwu Isiguzoro and Chinyeakaya Achoakawa, the group expressed reservations about aspects of former Head of State Yakubu Gowon’s memoir, My Memoirs.
Ohanaeze alleged that portions of the publication contained historical distortions capable of reopening old wounds and unfairly portraying Igbo leaders such as Ojukwu and Nnamdi Azikiwe.
The group specifically rejected claims suggesting that Ojukwu plotted to remove former Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in order to install Azikiwe as Prime Minister, insisting that such allegations lack universally accepted historical evidence.
Ohanaeze urged Nigerians to approach accounts relating to the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War with objectivity and sensitivity, noting that the conflict remains one of the darkest chapters in the country’s history.
The organization added that genuine reconciliation requires empathy, truth, and acknowledgement of the pains suffered during the war, while reiterating its commitment to protecting Igbo interests and promoting a fair and inclusive Nigeria.
READ FULL STATEMENT
OHANAEZE NDIGBO WORLDWIDE PRESS RELEASE
UMAHI’S “TINUBU IS THE BIAFRA NDIGBO HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR” REMARKS WERE COLLECTIVELY AUTHORIZED BY IGBO LEADERS — OHANAEZE NDIGBO CLARIFIES POSITION, FAULTS DISTORTIONS IN GOWON’S MEMOIR
27th May 2026
The Apex Igbo Sociocultural Organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, considers it necessary to issue this authoritative clarification following the widespread misinterpretations and misleading commentaries generated by certain critics regarding the recent statement credited to the Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Dave Nweze Umahi, wherein he declared that “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the Biafra Ndigbo has been looking for.”
Ohanaeze Ndigbo unequivocally states that Senator Dave Umahi’s remarks did not emanate from personal political enthusiasm or individual discretion. The statement was a carefully considered and collectively endorsed position arising from a strategic closed-door consultation recently held in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, involving Southeast Governors, former Governors, serving Southeast Ministers, eminent Igbo political leaders, and the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
The purpose of the resolution was to formally convey the appreciation of the Igbo Nation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what many stakeholders have acknowledged as deliberate and visible efforts toward addressing decades of federal neglect, infrastructural abandonment, and systemic marginalization experienced by the Southeast since the conclusion of the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War in 1970.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo maintains that although the Civil War officially ended in 1970, the realities confronting the Southeast in the decades that followed reflected prolonged economic exclusion, inadequate federal infrastructure, and insufficient national attention to the region’s developmental needs. Successive military and civilian administrations from 1970 to 2023 failed to adequately address the collapse of critical federal roads, economic dislocations, and social infrastructure deficits that became deeply associated with the post-war experiences of Ndigbo.
The condition of federal infrastructure across the Southeast remained a painful national concern for many years, despite repeated appeals and interventions by regional leaders. It is therefore understandable that current efforts directed toward reversing these longstanding challenges have attracted significant acknowledgement from stakeholders across Igboland.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo notes that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has undertaken several initiatives which many Igbos consider consequential and symbolic. The appointment of Senator Dave Umahi as Minister of Works represented a strategic opportunity to confront longstanding infrastructural deficiencies across the country, particularly within the Southeast. Under his supervision, major federal road projects are currently receiving unprecedented attention and execution.
Equally significant is the elevation of Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, wife of the late Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, from Minister of State for Foreign Affairs to substantive Minister of Foreign Affairs. To many within the Southeast, the decision carries profound symbolic importance in the broader context of national inclusion, reconciliation, and recognition.
Furthermore, the ongoing federal road projects reportedly valued at over ₦1.5 trillion across the Southeast region have reinforced perceptions that the current administration is making deliberate efforts to address historical infrastructural neglect in the region.
It was within this context that Senator Dave Umahi was authorized by Igbo leaders to convey a sincere message of appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on behalf of many stakeholders within the Igbo Nation. The statement should therefore be understood within its intended context and not subjected to sensational interpretations designed to provoke ethnic hostility or distort the collective position of Igbo leadership.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo consequently advises certain non-Igbo commentators and sections of the media to refrain from politicizing or misrepresenting the painful history of the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War for divisive purposes. The experiences, sacrifices, and losses endured by Ndigbo during the conflict remain deeply painful historical realities which must be approached with sensitivity, responsibility, and factual accuracy.
The organization also expresses serious reservations regarding aspects of former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon’s memoir titled “My Memoirs.” Ohanaeze believes that portions of the publication appear to present distorted historical narratives capable of reopening old wounds and unfairly portraying revered Igbo leaders, particularly Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, in an unfavorable and historically contentious manner.
For the purpose of historical clarification, Ohanaeze Ndigbo firmly states that there exists no universally accepted or credible historical record establishing that Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu plotted to remove Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in order to install Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as Nigeria’s Prime Minister. Assertions of such magnitude require credible documentary evidence and must not be presented in ways capable of distorting established historical realities.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo therefore urges Nigerians to approach all historical accounts relating to the Civil War with objectivity, balance, and intellectual honesty. The Nigeria-Biafra Civil War resulted in the tragic loss of millions of lives, predominantly women and children, and remains one of the most painful episodes in the nation’s history. The memories of those events demand caution, sincerity, and moral responsibility from all parties involved.
The organization respectfully reminds General Yakubu Gowon that history places profound moral obligations on all surviving actors of the Civil War era. Genuine reconciliation requires truth, empathy, and the courage to acknowledge the pains suffered by affected populations. In the interest of enduring national healing, Ohanaeze Ndigbo believes that expressions of remorse and reconciliation remain essential components of true national unity.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide remains committed to the protection of Igbo interests, the preservation of historical truth, and the promotion of a fair, just, and equitable Nigeria founded on mutual respect, inclusiveness, and national cohesion.
Signed:
Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro
Deputy President
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide
Prof. Chinyeakaya Achoakawa
Deputy Secretary General
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide
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