Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has urged the Igbo people to critically evaluate claims of marginalisation before embracing calls for secession and the creation of Biafra.

Soludo made the remarks on Tuesday while delivering the 6th Biennial Adada Lecture organised by the Association of Nsukka Professors at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).

The governor expressed concern over what he described as the declining culture of critical thinking within Nigerian universities, noting that academic institutions were no longer questioning national issues with the depth and courage they once did.

Referring to the Nigeria-Biafra civil war, Soludo said the declaration of Biafra was made from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and argued that the university community should have thoroughly examined the justification for such a historic decision.

“The Nigeria-Biafra war was literally declared from this hall, and the justification or otherwise of that declaration should have been interrogated by the university community,” he said.

Soludo lamented that many academic works produced in universities fail to influence policy or address real societal problems. According to him, Nigeria now has “more noise but less light,” as intellectual contributions increasingly remain disconnected from governance and practical solutions.

“We are producing thousands of papers that never leave the shelves, while the country struggles for real solutions,” the governor stated.

He stressed that knowledge becomes meaningless if it does not contribute to policymaking or national development.

The governor also maintained that the future of the Igbo people is better secured within a united Nigeria, urging Igbo intellectuals to actively shape conversations about the region’s future instead of leaving public discourse to emotional rhetoric on the streets.

“The future of the Igbo lies in a united Nigeria. Igbo intellectuals must lead the debate—not leave it to street rhetoric,” he said.

Soludo warned scholars against remaining silent while the country faces major social, political, and economic challenges, adding that intellectuals have a responsibility to contribute beyond the classroom.

“Stop standing arms akimbo while the nation drifts. The silence from the intellectual class could cost Africa dearly,” he said.

He further noted that talent alone is not enough, stressing that those who fail to act in difficult times become part of the problem.

Drawing references from historical figures such as Isaac Newton, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Kwame Nkrumah, Soludo said history remembers thinkers who took action rather than those who only produced theories and writings.

The governor challenged lecturers and academics to engage more directly in national development and policy discussions, insisting that intellectualism without practical impact remains ineffective.