The Igbo Leaders of Thought has accused successive Nigerian governments of deliberately starving the South-east of seaport development, saying the policy has outlasted the colonial period and continues to damage both the region and the national economy.
The group issued the charge in a communique after a meeting in Enugu, signed by its president, Prof. Elo Amucheazi, and secretary, Prof. Dozie Chukwuokolo. The session reviewed national affairs as political activity ahead of the 2027 elections intensified.
ILT said South-east ports have been left undeveloped even as congestion at Lagos ports and heavy truck traffic have shortened the life of roads. It argued that the pattern began in the colonial era, continued after the civil war, and has been maintained despite the economic cost.
The group listed other alleged signs of imbalance: the absence of standard-gauge rail and adequate roads in the East; the concessioning of Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu while other airports receive large federal allocations; the confiscation or destruction of Igbo-owned property in Lagos, Abuja and elsewhere; the exclusion of Igbos from 34 key federal posts; and the handling of Nnamdi Kanu’s case.
It said nothing had changed under President Bola Tinubu. ILT pointed to the compulsory retirement of an Igbo deputy inspector-general of police after the removal of former Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun, which it said blocked the most senior DIG from succeeding him. It contrasted that with the later appointment of a new Head of Service of the Federation, which it said followed seniority and favoured a Yoruba candidate.
“What else is double standard?” the communique asked.
The group also said Igbo communities do not control oil wells located on their land.
On Kanu, ILT accused the federal government of treating the IPOB leader more harshly than other separatist figures. It said Sunday Igboho had been licensed to carry arms and enlisted to fight terrorists in Yoruba areas, while Kanu, who it said never bore arms, faced a far tougher fate. The group rejected Kanu’s transfer to what it called “the seat of Caliphate,” describing the move as insensitive.
It called Kanu a “prisoner of conscience” and urged Tinubu to use the presidential prerogative of mercy to free him at once. The communique cited the treatment of Obafemi Awolowo during his treason trial: then Governor-General Nnamdi Azikiwe reversed a plan to send Awolowo to a North-east prison and moved him to Calabar, while Eastern Region Premier M.I. Okpara provided support for Awolowo’s family, as he did for Western Region Premier D.S. Adegbenro.
ILT presented these points as evidence of a sustained policy of political and economic containment of the Igbo, which it said federal authorities have denied rather than addressed. The communique did not announce further actions beyond the public statement and the appeal for Kanu’s release.
The claims are those of the group. The federal government has not responded in the material provided.
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