Countering the Dismemberment Narrative of Biafra Secessionist Agitations in Nigeria

In the last five decades, secessionist agitations from Biafran groups have continued to endure despite the Nigerian government's efforts to stop them. There is a growing literature blaming these agitations on the Igbos' hatred of Nigeria, but not much of such scholarly works have examined the link between economic deprivation and continued Biafra secessionist calls. Using the ordeal that characterizes the experience of the Igbo in the Nigerian economy and a mixed-method approach comprising of unstructured informal, group and phone interviews as well as data obtained from secondary literature, the article argues that Biafra secessionism persists and enjoys local support because of economic deprivation. The article theorizes the drive towards political inclusion, survival against holocaust and the desire for economic integration as important drivers of secessionism and therefore concludes that blockade of economic opportunities is central to Biafra secessionist agitations and not the desire to dismember Nigeria as often presented in literature. The implication is that until the Nigerian state evolves a robust mechanism for addressing economic and political injustices inherent in its system, secessionist agitations will likely persist.