“We all know that the Igbo are topping education charts across Nigeria. Every year, we have the highest number of students gaining university admission. We value knowledge, we work hard, and we rise by merit. But now, the very systems we trust are being used to suppress us”
How Long Will We Pretend Not to See What’s Happening to Us as Ndigbo?
My heart is heavy. Not out of hatred, but from deep concern. I’ve been watching the recent moves of this government, and I can’t keep quiet anymore.
A few weeks ago, I made a post pointing out how the Tinubu administration appointed eight people to handle the next national census—and out of those eight, five are Yoruba, none are Igbo. Yes, none. Just look at the names:
1. Bagudu – North West
2. Kwarra – North Central
3. Idris – North West
4. Edun – South West
5. Adedeji – South West
6. Odusote – South West
7. Okunola – South West
8. Oyinade – South West
Now, tell me—is this an accident? Are we supposed to believe this doesn’t mean anything?
I was even more shocked when some of our own people—started telling me to “leave tribe out of it” or “it doesn’t matter who is appointed.” How does it not matter? When those at the top are the ones who will shape the data that determines how many schools we get, how much funding comes to our region, how many representatives we deserve?
Just recently, Oloyede, the JAMB Registrar, was caught trying to reduce the scores of Igbo students while boosting the scores of Yoruba students. Let that sink in. If he wasn’t caught, many of our brilliant sons and daughters might have missed out on the admission they earned through hard work.
And yet, some of us still say, “Don’t worry, it’s not that deep.”
Really?
We all know that the Igbo are topping education charts across Nigeria. Every year, we have the highest number of students gaining university admission. We value knowledge, we work hard, and we rise by merit. But now, the very systems we trust are being used to suppress us—from JAMB to census.
This is not about hate. This is about survival. About seeing the pattern and speaking up before it’s too late.
If we stay silent now, what happens tomorrow?
To my fellow Ndigbo: stop thinking this doesn’t affect you. It does. If they can try to silence our numbers in JAMB, they can do worse in the census. If they can remove us from key appointments, they can remove us from key decisions.
Let us not wait until it is too late to speak.
Let us not become strangers in our own land.
They may have a plan, but so do we. And ours must begin with awareness, unity, and boldness to call out injustice—no matter who is uncomfortable.
Nwoke ná Nwanyi… wake up.
