The leaders made the allegation at the end of their emergency meeting in Enugu on Thursday.
South-east leaders have alleged that there is a conspiracy to alienate Igbos from the affairs of Nigeria.
Igbo is a major ethnic group dominant in Nigeria’s south-east.
The South-east leaders made the allegation at the end of their emergency meeting in Enugu on Thursday.
The meeting was chaired by the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, and attended by serving and past National Assembly members from the South-east, traditional rulers, and other members of Ohanaeze, among others.
Conspiracy
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the leaders claimed that the Igbos have been at the “receiving end in the affairs of Nigeria” and that all the appeals to the Nigerian government to address the alleged injustice against the ethnic group had been ignored.
The leaders hailed Mr Iwuanyanwu on his recent call that Igbos should not join protest against economic hardship, saying his reasons for the call were justifiable.
“It was noted that since there has remained an orchestrated conspiracy to alienate the Igbo from the affairs of the country, it will be foolhardy for the Igbo youths to present themselves as cannon fodders at this critical juncture in our political history,” the leaders said in the communiqué.
Giving examples of the injustice against the South-east, the leaders said it was unfair that, despite appeals, the Nigerian government refused to create an additional state in the South-east which they noted is the only region with five states.
They expressed frustration with the refusal of the federal government to release Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, despite repeated appeals from various Igbo leaders and groups for Mr Kanu’s release.
“It is common knowledge that the sit-at-home in the South-east is because of the incarceration of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The sit-at-home has caused the Igbo and indeed most Nigerians unquantifiable losses in lives and properties,” they said.
Call for food security
The South-east leaders asked Igbos to “readjust” to the present economic hardship, adding that they should “invoke the indomitable Igbo spirit of brotherliness, hard work, ingenuity, wisdom, resilience, inventiveness, perseverance and capacity to turn adversities into diverse opportunities.”
“We urge the Igbo governors, council chairmen, traditional rulers and town union presidents in Igbo land to take advantage of the upcoming farming season to catalyse massive agricultural production for sustainable food security in our region.”
They further urged the governors and community leaders in the region to step up security in their various areas.
