Nollywood legend and politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, has called on President Bola Tinubu to apologize to Ndigbo, on behalf of the Federal Government, for atrocities against them all these years.
Okonkwo said he had made it clear that tagging the 1966 coup as an Igbo coup was wrong and a misrepresentation.
In a statement on his 𝕏 handle, on Saturday, the former All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain lauded General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) for the revelation in his autobiography ‘A Journey In Service’.
Barrister Okonkwo added that the revelation from IBB also showed that the revenge coup of July 1966 and the resultant civil war of 1966 – 1970 against Ndigbo were uncalled for.
He noted that Ndigbo remained an agent of development and should be respected and treated fairly.
“I have always made it clear in my interviews that what happened in 1966 was a military coup, not an Igbo coup. The revenge coup of July 1966, the pogrom, and the resultant civil war of 1966 – 1970 against Ndigbo were uncalled for. Ndigbo are development agents in Nigeria and should be respected and treated as such henceforth.
“The Federal Government under Tinubu should use this opportunity of the revelation by IBB to formally apologise to Ndigbo for all the atrocities meted against them in that dark era of Nigeria’s history and find suitable reparations to compensate Ndigbo for the unnecessary and avoidable damages done to them. Better late than never,” he said.
