Restructuring: Rivers State Group Demands Single Igbo Region
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| Indigenous Igbo Congress of Rivers State (IIC) |
— PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria
The Indigenous Igbo Congress of Rivers State (IIC) has rejected any plan to restructure Nigeria that would separate Igbo-speaking communities in Rivers State from the Igbo region as a whole.
In a statement issued in Port Harcourt on August 30, 2026, the group advocated for a single, undivided Igbo region, arguing that communities such as the Ikwerre, Etche, Ogba, Ekpeye, Ndoki, Asa, Ndoni, and Egbema share historical, linguistic, and cultural ties with the broader Igbo people.
The IIC also called for the inclusion of communities it identifies as Igbo-speaking located in parts of Akwa Ibom, Benue, Edo, Cross River, Kogi, and Bayelsa states in any future regional arrangement.
The group affirmed its support for national restructuring but insisted that any process must involve consultation with the affected communities, respect historical and cultural identities, and avoid what it termed the "Balkanization" of Igbo territory.
"The IIC, as the common voice of our people, wishes to clarify patiently, documentarily, and once and for all the arguments now being advanced about the identity and history of the peoples placed inside the proposed "Rivers Region."
"Our Igbo origin has never been in doubt. We are part and parcel of the Igbo race and civilisation, and this is evident in our culture, in our language, and in our systems of traditional administration. The so-called delegates of the proposed Rivers Region are, therefore, misrepresenting the identity of the people not upon evidence, but upon the wounds of a distorted politics," said the IIC.
It further urged the organizers of restructuring discussions to reconsider proposals regarding Bonny and Opobo, citing their linguistic and historical ties to the Igbo world.
The Congress stated that it would continue to pursue its demands through peaceful action, historical research, and constitutional dialogue.