Chief Goddy Uwazurike, a former President of the Igbo socio-cultural organisation Aka Ikenga, asserted that the struggle of the Igbo people was far from over. In an interview with The Vanguard, he reflected on the importance of May 30 for the Igbo, the historical trauma of the Biafran struggle, and what he described as the persistent marginalisation of Ndigbo in Nigeria’s political system.
When asked about concerns that agitation was harming the Igbo economic interest, Chief Goddy Uwazurike acknowledged the situation in the region, noting that every Monday, an unidentified group issued statements and carried out acts of violence against those simply trying to go about their daily business.
He stated that these individuals were not genuine agitators, but rather unknown elements exploiting the situation to extort and harm the people.
Uwazurike emphasized that these actions were detrimental to the Igbo and expressed frustration over the military’s response. He claimed that while the military often stayed away on Mondays, effectively allowing these groups to operate freely, they would return on Tuesdays only to harass innocent civilians—by which time the real criminals had already disappeared with their gains.
He concluded that the responsibility for addressing the problem ultimately lay with the military, urging them to take decisive action if they truly believed they could resolve the issue.
He said, “And what can we do ? It’s the army that can quell them but on Mondays, the military will go home, and sit and allow all those bad people to have a field day. On Tuesday, the army will come out, and then start harassing the populace. Meanwhile, the criminals are busy enjoying their loot. So, the people can do nothing. It is still up to the military, if they think they can solve it, they should stand up, and take a stand.
