Chief Chekwas Okorie, Convener of the Igbo Agenda Dialogue has reaffirmed the indigenous identity of the Igbo people, insisting that unlike some other ethnic groups whose migration into Nigeria can be traced, the Igbos have always been native to the land.
Speaking during an interview on Signature TV, Okorie dismissed claims that question the origins of the Igbo, stressing that no credible historical research has ever proven otherwise. “And let me make it very clear, because we can talk about some ethnic groups that we know when we migrated to Nigeria. But no historian, no matter how hard he has researched, can tell you that Igbo people were not originally from here. We didn’t migrate from anywhere,” he stated.
Okorie argued that the deep cultural roots of the Igbo nation and their long-established presence across the Southeast stand as proof of their autochthonous status. He maintained that while historians have traced the migration of certain ethnic groups into present-day Nigeria, no such narrative exists about the Igbo, underscoring their originality and permanence in the land.
The Igbo Agenda Dialogue convener explained that acknowledging the indigenous nature of the Igbo people is vital in the context of Nigeria’s national conversations on equity, inclusion and restructuring. He warned that attempts to distort the historical identity of the Igbo undermine not only their heritage but also their rightful place in the Nigerian federation.
Okorie called on Igbo scholars, leaders, and institutions to continue preserving and promoting historical evidence that validates the region’s originality. According to him, reclaiming and asserting this identity is crucial for strengthening the confidence of the younger generation.
His remarks come amid ongoing debates about ethnicity, belonging and nationhood in Nigeria’s complex multi-ethnic landscape.
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