Soludo: Nobody is Marginalising Igbo, Stop Fighting War that Ended 56 Years Ago

• Hails Tinubu’s renewed vigour on security

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, has declared that no section of the country was marginalising the Igbo, urging people  of the South-East to stop fighting a war that ended 56 years ago, instead of embracing peace and full participation in nation-building.

Soludo made the remarks, yesterday, during the wreath-laying and parade ceremony to mark the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration at the Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka, where he also commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as renewed vigour and seriousness in tackling terrorism and other forms of insecurity across the country.

The governor expressed confidence that with the increased commitment of the federal government, the lingering security challenges confronting the nation would be decisively overcome.

He paid tribute to Tinubu as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, noting that insecurity had festered for nearly two decades and was almost becoming a new normal before the current administration’s renewed efforts.

According to him, the collaboration among the armed forces and other security agencies had given fresh hope that terrorism would be finally dealt with. He praised the President for the resolve shown so far and urged him to sustain the momentum.

Soludo, however, expressed concern over what he described as the low interest shown by people of Anambra State and the South-East in general in enlisting into the Nigerian Army and Police Force.

He warned that such attitude was counter-productive and amounted to self-marginalisation, stressing that a nation could not be built by citizens who chose to opt out of its core institutions.

He revealed that during the last recruitment exercises into the army and the police, Anambra recorded the lowest expression of interest in the country, a development he described as worrisome.

The governor called on youths in the state to enlist in the armed forces, stressing that Nigeria belonged to all its citizens and that full ownership of the country required active participation.

Soludo said if the trend continued, future generations would complain of the absence of officers of Anambra or Igbo extraction in the security architecture of the country, despite having refused to participate when opportunities were available.