Since the end of civil War, Igbo people have suffered Marginalization in Nigeria - Balarabe Musa admitted

A former Governor of old Kaduna State and elder statesman, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, has said northern Nigeria needs at least 40 years to catch up with the southern region in terms of educational development.

A second republic governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, says Igbo people calling for separation from Nigeria are doing so because they have not had their fair share in the scheme of things in Nigeria.

Musa admitted that since the civil war ended, Igbo people have not been treated as co-owners of the country.

His words: “Sincerely speaking, the South-East has not had a fair-share since the civil war. Their marginalization is quite obvious.

“But if the policy of reconstruction, reintegration and reconciliation of Gen.Gowon and the late Gen. Murtala’s administrations had continued, the agitation by the few Igbo for Biafra state would have been a thing of the past.

“It is the marginalization that is making a small section of the Igbo to agitate for Biafra. If the reconstruction and reconciliation had been sustained, there wouldn’t have been any need for Biafra because the number of those Igbo asking for Biafra is not more than 10 percent.

“The majority of the Igbo crave for a better Nigeria particularly because of their experience and they are prepared to fight for the unity of Nigeria.

“Majority of Igbo leaders have said in clear terms that they want a better Nigeria where they can expand because they are enterprising in nature.

“As you are aware, people who are enterprising would prefer a big community as against a small one.

“Some of them desire a better Nigeria because they don’t want the previous experience of war to repeat itself. But the agitation for Biafra is a ticking time-bomb just as the level of poverty in Nigeria.

“Like I said earlier, the system of development in Nigeria tend to divide the people. There were times in history when the Igbo were targeted and isolated because they were enterprising and because of the system that operates in Nigeria.

“And probably the system could marginalize everybody until there is a brutal revolution.”