Otu Oka-Iwu, the leading association of Igbo lawyers in Nigeria, has strongly condemned the exclusion of the South East and South South regions from the recently constituted Presidential Committee on the 2025 National Population and Housing Census.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its President, Mazi Okechukwu Unegbu, and Secretary, Chief Ben Ihesiulo, the group expressed deep disappointment over what it described as a deliberate act of marginalization.
“We are deeply concerned that the entire South East and South South regions—home to millions of Nigerian citizens—have been completely sidelined in the makeup of this critical national committee. This is not an oversight; it is a deliberate and calculated act of exclusion that continues a troubling trend of systemic discrimination,” the statement read.
According to the group, five of the seven committee members are from the South West, while the remaining two hail from the North Central and North West. Not a single representative comes from the South East or South South, despite the regions’ significant contributions to Nigeria’s political, economic, and cultural life.
“This is an outright affront to the principles of federal character, equity, and inclusion enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. It is unacceptable for any government that claims to serve all Nigerians to ignore entire regions in such a high-stakes national process,” the group stated.
Otu Oka-Iwu emphasized that the census is not merely a technical or statistical exercise, but a deeply political and socio-economic one that shapes governance, resource allocation, and national development. “By excluding our people from the decision-making table, this government is essentially declaring that we do not count,” it added.
The group warned that this move reflects a broader agenda of political marginalization of the South East and South South, calling it a continuation of policies aimed at sidelining these regions in the governance of Nigeria.
“It is troubling that in 2025, we must still remind the Nigerian state that this country belongs to all its citizens, not to a select few. We will not stand by while our people are reduced to mere statistics without a voice,” the statement continued.
Otu Oka-Iwu demanded the immediate reconstitution of the committee to reflect Nigeria’s diversity and to include competent representatives from the excluded regions. Failure to do so, the group warned, could lead to widespread rejection of the census process.
“If this injustice is not swiftly corrected, we will mobilize our people across the South East and South South to resist any enumeration effort conducted under such a biased framework. We will not allow ourselves to be used and discarded,” it declared.
The association called on traditional rulers, political leaders, religious groups, civil society, and the international community to recognize and speak out against what it described as a grave injustice.
“The unity of Nigeria cannot be sustained on a foundation of selective inclusion and deliberate marginalization. If the census does not reflect the true face of Nigeria, then it reflects nothing at all,” the statement noted.