“Nigeria Has An Alaigbo Problem”- Dele Farotimi Speaks On Igbo Agitation For Biafra

• Dele Farotimi, a human rights advocate and lawyer, addresses the agitation for an independent homeland among some Igbo people.
• He links this desire for self-determination to a perceived loss of citizenship and failures in Nigeria’s rule of law.
• Farotimi emphasizes that the push for independence in the Southeast is influenced by broader experiences of citizenship, justice, and governance across Nigeria.

Human rights advocate and lawyer Dele Farotimi has weighed in on the growing agitation for an independent homeland among some Igbo people, arguing that the issue is rooted in what he described as the loss of citizenship and the failure of the rule of law in Nigeria.

Farotimi made the remarks while discussing the challenges confronting different ethnic groups across the country. According to him, the push for self-determination in the Southeast did not emerge in isolation but developed from Nigerians’ experiences with citizenship, justice and governance.

He questioned how the Igbo people moved from strongly advocating for a united Nigeria to increasingly demanding a separate homeland.

“Nigeria has an Alaigbo problem, and it is important that we address it. How did the Igbos move from being people who desired a united Nigeria to demanding a separate homeland today? It is simple: the loss of citizenship and the absence of the rule of law,” he said.

Farotimi argued that restoring the rights and sense of belonging of Nigerian citizens could significantly reduce separatist sentiments.

“Restore citizenship to Nigerians, and Ndi Igbo will not be demanding to go anywhere,” he stated.

He further linked the issue to grievances in other parts of the country, suggesting that a stronger commitment to citizenship and the rule of law would help address ethnic and regional…