By Steve Oko
The recent recommendation by the Senate Committee on Constitution Amendment, for additional state to be created in the South East geopolitical zone to bring it at par with other zones, has once again, triggered the debate and jostle for the most appropriate state proposal to be considered for the zone.
Senator Chinedu (Ned ) Nwoko, representing Delta North senatorial district, has quickly renewed his campaign for the creation of Anioma State comprising about seven Igbo-speaking Local Government Areas in Delta State.
While his quest for Ndigbo across the Niger River to be united with their kits and kin on the Eastern divide of the river should be applauded, the fundamental truth should not be sacrificed on the altar of sympathy or illogical political smartness.
It is not in doubt that the people of the proposed Anioma State are Igbo. They are full-blooded Igbo just like any other Igbo from the Eastern flank of the River Niger.
In fact, Ndigbo in Delta State right from the time Delta was still part of the Mid-West Region, and later Old Bendel, had never denied their Igbo identity unlike some of their brothers in Rivers State.
Truly, Igbo Delta (Anioma, meaning good land), should be commended for taking pride in their Igbo identity and ethnicity.
But when juxtaposed with the argument for the creation of additional state for the South East (which is to correct the age-long imbalance and lopsidedness against the zone), it becomes obvious that Anioma should not be in the picture.
Making Anioma the parity state for the South East will not in anyway correct the endemic and glaring cheating of the zone. Rather, it will make the South South geo-political zone where Delta State currently belongs, the only beneficiary of the exercise assuming it eventually pulls through.
South East comprising Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo States, remains the only geo-political zone in Nigeria with five states.
Other five zones have six states each except the North West ge-opolitical zone that has seven.
By reason of this lopsidedness, South East which also has the least number of Local Government Areas, senatorial zones and federal constituencies, has been wittingly denied of trillions of Naira that ordinarily should accrue to the zone as allocation from the Federal Government.
Those directly affected by this injustice are the Igbo living in South East, and not those found in other geo-political zones.
This is the injustice the agitation for parity state seeks to address.
The idea of creating additional or party state for South East is not to lump all Igbo-speaking people into one geopolitical zone, as doing so is not even politically strategic.
Besides, Delta is not the only State outside South East geopolitical zone with sizable Igbo population.
Empirical records indicate that greater part of Rivers States originally known as Igwe Ocha, are Igbo not minding the denials by few political elite who for selfish political interests, do not want to be so identified.
Gladly, the current President General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Senator John Azu-Mbata, from Ikwere in Rivers State, is occupying that position because he is Igbo.
In fact, key positions in Ohanaeze leadership especially the PG, Deputy PG and the Secretary General, have always been rotated among all seven Igbo-speaking States of Abia, Anambra, Delta, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, and Rivers.
There are also Igbo-speaking LGAs and Communities in Benue, Kogi, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and even Bayelsa States.
While their Igbo identity is not in contention, the essence of creating additional state for the South East is to bring the zone at par with other zones, end and make up for the decades of lost revenues and other benefits.
The idea of bringing the Igbo in Delta to join their brethren in the South East is a brilliant one and Senator Ned Nwoko and other proponents of Anioma State movement should be commended for their great efforts, however, Anioma should not, by any wise argument, take the slot of parity state for the South East.
The fact that there are Yoruba-speaking LGAs and Communities in Kwara and Kogi States respectively, further validates this point.
While the efforts to re-unite people severed from their brethren either out of political exigencies or whatever reasons should be appreciated, parity state for South East should be carved out from the states within the zone as currently constituted.
Otherwise, it is not a parity state; it is territorial expansion state which makes sense only if Nigeria is returning to Regional arrangement.
For clarity sake, the agitations all the while had been additional state for the South East. And the resolution or recommendation was: equality state for South East.
Based on Nigeria’s current zonal arrangement, Delta State is in South South with three major tribes – Igbo, Ijaw and Urohbo plus other minor ethnic groups including the Itsekiri.
Taking what is meant for South East to South South amounts to further injustice against South East.
In view of the above facts, it therefore, becomes obvious that Anioma State as proposed by Senator Nwoko is outside the equation.
A number of other proposals such as Adada State (from Nsuka clan of the present day Enugu State); Aba ( comprising only the Ukwa La Ngwa people of Abia State; Orlu State (mainly from the Orlu people of Imo State and few communities from Anambra and Abia States; among others; are being canvassed by various interest groups.
But of all the various proposals, the only one that fits into the parity/equity state structure for the South East, is the proposed Etiti Stake being championed by Hon. Amobi Ogah representing Isuikwuato Umunneochi federal constituency and some of his colleagues from other states.
The merit of Etiti Stake movement lies in the fact that each of the existing marginalised States in the South East will be donating a minimum of two LGAs to the new state. And this is truly equity because no one particular State will be the only beneficiary while others yawn.
In the proposed Etiti State, Abia will donate Isuikwuato and Umunneochi LGAs; Imo will yield Okigwe and Onuimo LGAs; Anambra will part with Orumba North and Orumba South; Ivo and Ohozara LGAs will come from Ebonyi State; while Enugu drops Awgu, Aninri and Oji River for the new State.
This arrangement is what makes it truly a parity (equalisation) state. And with this arrangement, no one state would be said to have benefited to the disadvantage of others.
With Etiti as first on the list for South East, Anioma can then come second assuming the Federal Government decides to increase the tarry of each zone from six to seven as North West currently has.
But very unfortunately, National Assembly members from the South East are yet to be seen championing the agitation unlike their colleague, Senator Nwoko is doing and seriously lobbying.
It will not be a surprise if for percuniary interests, some NASS members from South East rather support the proposed Anioma State despite the compelling reasons for Etiti State proposal.
Those championing or supporting Anioma State proposal against other proposals particularly Etiti from South East, should know that they have not addressed the injustice against the Igbo in South East.
South East leaders including Governors, National Assembly members, traditional rulers, religious leaders, the academic among other stakeholders, should immediately convene a meeting and decide on the most appropriate among so many proposals being canvassed by various groups.
It is time to set aside political affiliations, clanish interests and other sentiments, and take a dispassionate decision based on merit so that this opportunity will not be lost.
The entire National Assembly should complement the bold step already taken by the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, by ensuring that this long-clamoured and overdue additional state for the South East pulls through this time around.
Importantly, the 36 State House of Assemblies should also, in the spirit of equity and national cohesion, affirm this decision which had been a consensus in various Constitutional Conferences in Nigeria.
Inequality of states to the disadvantage of the South East, has remained one of the major compliants of the zone against the Nigerian State, and this is a golden opportunity to break the jinx.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, should consider giving South East a parity state; and the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, two major gifts to the zone and the Igbo nation, to rekindle their confidence in the Nigeria State, ahead of 2027.
This, will not only endear President Tinubu to Ndigbo as a listening and considerate President, but also rekindle the faith of Ndigbo in the One Nigeria project where they have been treated as second class citizens.
*Steve Oko, Publisher/C.E.O, WaWa News Global.
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