The greatest mistake Igbo people made in the last decade was sitting back and watching IPOB — an organization and a limited liability company — gradually replace Igbo, a people, a tribe, a culture, and a language.
Today, many confidently interchange “Igbo” and “Biafra,” making wild historical claims about pre-war “Biafran identity” that never existed.
What is even more disturbing is how many educated and exposed individuals champion this revisionism without question.
Let it be clear:
- Biafra is Biafra.
- Igbo is Igbo.
- Before Biafra existed, Igbo existed.
- Igbo will exist in spite of and despite Biafra.
Issues of identity are not trivial.
What we ignore eventually becomes the very thing that masters us.
People become what they consistently support.
Ihe ojo fūō ome oburụ Odīnala.
The Silence of Our Elders Is the Biggest Betrayal
Perhaps most embarrassing are the elders — the red cap chiefs who should be custodians of our culture and history — sitting quietly while our identity is rewritten in real time.
Owu ihe ihere.
It is shameful.
Igbo was always enough. Always sufficient.
It was under Biafra that fragmentation began.
The civil war created damage and distrust among the ethnic groups of the former Eastern Region — wounds politicians later exploited when they carved states upon states, separating brothers and scattering a once-united region.
History does not repeat itself.
People who refuse to learn from history repeat it.
The IPOB-Era Confusion: A False Sense of History
Today, many IPOB-brainwashed youths sincerely believe we were called Biafrans before amalgamation.
They believe this because they heard it repeatedly on a radio station — and now they want to “restore” something they never were.
But you cannot restore what never existed.
You are Igbo.
If something needs restoring, let it be the development of Ala Igbo.
And for the record:
Ndi Igbo do not need Biafra to develop Igboland.
This misconception is why every Biafra agitation cycle ends in destruction, setbacks, lost opportunities, and pain — never progress.
The political, economic, and human capital to transform Ala Igbo already exists.
What is missing is:
- unity of purpose
- strategy
- implementation
- development-focused leadership
The Psychological Trap of Biafra
People don’t like to admit this, but it’s the truth:
Biafra has become a psychological trap.
The moment the word is mentioned, even intelligent people shut down their reasoning.
They stop asking:
- How?
- At what cost?
- What is the plan?
Instead, they get swept up in emotional fervor — ignoring the practical work Ala Igbo desperately needs right now.
Development does not require secession.
It requires strategy and consistency.
If Ndi Igbo can leave the South East, migrate elsewhere, and build thriving communities, then we can build at home too.
We Must Stop Making Politicians Untouchable
Another major problem is how we turn leaders into demigods who cannot be questioned.
We must become better followers — tougher, smarter, more demanding.
We must measure leaders by results, not sweet words.
The goal is not loyalty to any politician, party, or ideology.
The goal is loyalty to the development of Ala Igbo.
We must:
- hold leaders accountable at all levels
- care about lawmakers as much as governors
- take local elections seriously
- lobby, demand, recall, and challenge leaders who fail
No one is coming to build Igboland for us.
It is our responsibility.
What the Next Generation of Ndi Igbo Must Become
We need a generation of Igbo thinkers who:
- do not fear politicians
- value intelligence and critical thinking
- read, learn, innovate, and build
- refuse to be led blindly
- refuse to be manipulated by charlatans and agitators
- put Igbo development above emotional agitation
Every derailment in the name of agitation costs us.
It is time to admit this truth, even if it is uncomfortable.
Today, truth is seen as sabotage — and that mindset is killing us.
A Call for Realignment
Our collective consciousness has eroded.
We must get it back — for our survival, our sustainability, and our progress.
Biafra is not a binding force.
It fragments us more than it unites us.
It distracts us from the real work:
Strategy. Growth. Development. Agenda. Execution.
Each derailment makes us lose momentum in a race where no one is waiting for us.
We must rediscover who we are — our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
That rediscovery is what will restore Igbo unity and rebuild trust.
Conclusion
Ala Igbo needs clarity, not confusion.
Development, not destruction.
Identity, not illusion.
Strategy, not sentiment.
The future of Ndi Igbo depends on our ability to think, organize, and build — not on clinging to emotional fantasies that keep setting us back.
It is time to realign, recalibrate, and return to truth.
Igbo bu Igbo.
Igbo ga-adi.
Igbo nwere ike.
— Chioma Amaryllis Ahaghotu
Published on ReportNaija
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