The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, has said Igbo people deserve an apology after they were labelled as the brains behind the 1966 coup in Nigeria.

Aguene said this after former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), revealed in his book, ‘A Journey in Service,’ that a school of thought believe that the initial aim of the coup was not ethnic in nature.

Reacting, Aguene told MyNigeria that gradually, Igbo people will be vindicated by God of all the accusations thrown at them in Nigeria.

“The Almighty God will vindicate the Igbo people of all the accusations that have been placed on them,” he said.

Further speaking, the Ohanaeze leader revealed that despite the investment Igbo people have put into the Nigerian project, they still suffer attacks.

“When you talk of One Nigeria, it is Igbos who invest everywhere they go even better than anywhere they are coming from, to make sure that Nigeria develops. But they still suffer attacks,” he said.

He also stated that for a person like Babangida to come up and say the truth about the 1966 coup as a member of the inner caucus, Igbo people can now see Nigeria for what it is.

When asked if Igbo people deserve an apology after being told that they were responsible for the coup, Aguene answered in the affirmative.

“Yes, the apology is to include them in the Nigerian system of government which always sideline them irrespective of their effort to make sure that this country is what it is today in terms of development.”

This was as he lamented that the last 40 years in Nigeria has not been favourable to the Igbo people.

ASA