ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – Federal lawmaker representing Delta North Senatorial District at the 10th Senate, Senator Ned Nwoko has given reason why the creation of Anioma State is as important and urgent.
Senator Ned said that the urgent need to address the injustice and years of crying of marginalisation by Ndigbo generally makes the creation of Anioma state imperative as it will also assuage the cry of the Igbos and address the current imbalance against the region.
Senator Nwoko disclosed this in an interview in Abuja on Wednesday, while throwing light on the he sponsored seeking to alter provisions of 1999 Constitution (as amended) to create Anioma state.
According to the billionaire businessman, Igbo man anywhere is Ndigbo. It is a huge population of people – the third largest population in Nigeria but they only have five states and so we are pushing that this state of Anioma we are asking for be made the sixth state of Ndigbo. I have gotten support from most of the South East senators as well.
Senator Ned therefore reiterated that he is sure of getting support from across the country, adding that the quest for Anioma state has taken about 50years from the time of Dennis Osadebe.
He emphasized that there is urgent need to create Anioma state to address the imbalance and is hoped that when it is done, it will assuage the cry of Igbos because since after the war, there have been so many cries of being marginalised, injustice and all that. So it is only equitable that it is done and when it is done, it is hoped that it will deal with the crisis, violence, killings, sit-at-home and others that have turned life in that area into a nightmare. So it is very important that it is done and I know it will be done.
He said Nigeria now has a president who is determined to right wrongs of the past, because it is important to do so and “the government want to solve the problem of the south east”.
The Delta born politician disclosed that senators from Delta, South East and other stakeholders have lend their support to the creation of Anioma state to correct perceived marginalisation of south east geo-political zone.
Recall that a bill to create Anioma state passed first reading in the Senate on July 2.
Senator Nwoko said the south-east geopolitical zone currently has five states, unlike its counterparts, which have six each, except for the North- West, which has seven states.
Revealing that the creation of Anioma state has received wide support from major stakeholders, Nwoko said the two other senators from Delta state, Ede Dafinone (Delta Central and Joel-Onowakpo Thomas (Delta South) support the creation of the state. Adding that “for me, that is a big support.”
“I have gotten support from most of the senators from the south east as well and I know that I will get support from across the country. “The Izu Anioma, which is the umbrella group of all Aniomas are saying we want it, the Ikpe Anioma says we want it.”
Nwoko dismissed report by a group alleging that he did not consult wildly before presenting the bill for creation of Anioma state for first reading.
He said the call for creation of Anioma state was timely and has to happen for various reasons, adding that the eventual creation will address years of concerns, challenges of Ndigbo in Nigeria.
“The most important one is that there is the urgent need to address the injustice, the years of crying of marginalisation by Ndigbo generally.
“It is a huge population in Nigeria, but they only have five states, and so, it will make six states of Ndigbo.
“It is a very long fight, for the quest for Anioma has taken 50 years from the time of Dennis Osadebe.
“There may not be many states created in Nigeria under this dispensation, but certainly, there is an urgent need to create one to address the imbalance.
“It is hoped that when it is done it will assuage the cries of the Igbos because since after the war there has been so many cries of been marginalised of injustice.
“So it is only equitable that it is done because it will deal with the crisis, the killings the violence, the seat at home issues among other issues.”
He said there was the need to bring a lasting solution to issues in the region. “We are looking at finding the solution to crisis, you don’t create a state for the fun of it, no, you create a state to address a particular issue of concern”.
