Creation Of Anioma State’ll Bring Fairness, Equity To South East – Oganah

By Chinelo Obogo, Thesun.ng

‎Tonnie Oganah is the media and publicity director of Anioma State Creation Technical Committee and, in this interview, he speaks on the quest for the creation of Anioma State, saying its creation as the sixth South East state will bring equity, since it is the only zone with five states in Nigeria. He also enumerates the various benefits that the additional state will generate, among other issues.

‎Why should Anioma State be created, with the nation facing financial and security challenges?

‎Our request is the longest outstanding one and it is based on equity for the South East. Since 1951, the agitation started amongst the predominantly Igbo speaking people of the nine local government areas in Delta State based on self-identity, real marginalisation, and the urge to fast track development amongst our people.  The struggle was led initially by three royal fathers: the traditional rulers of Idumuje Ugboko, Agbor, and Aboh, which represent Aniocha Oshimili, Ika and Ndokwa Ukwuani respectively.

All of them were very active members of the Igbo Union which later became Ohanaeze Ndigbo. They took the request to Chief Dennis Osadebe and from 1954, the struggle took on a life of its own till date. It is a good thing that Senator Ned Nwoko is today leading and financing the struggle originally envisioned by his grandfather and Anioma will always thank him for that.

Delta State earns billions from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and it is consistently among the top recipients in Nigeria. In the first half of 2024, it received approximately N260.7 billion.  Its Internally Generated Revenue rose from N83 billion in 2023 to N158 billion in 2024. Split into three parts equally, Anioma should be getting billions monthly and the remaining part of Delta State will still be viable. Good enough, they are supportive of Anioma State creation. Since the Ekumekwu war which started in 1881, it took the British 31 years to conquer Anioma people and we were punished for it by splitting us into two different provinces of Benin and Delta from which Bendel State was created and eventually, Edo and Delta States.

All Anioma people have a very strong Igbo heritage as seen in their language which is predominantly Igbo but with different dialects as to be expected, from our names, culture, market days, values, traditional worship modes, food, dressing, world view, etcetera. Other zones in Nigeria have at least six states, but the south east has only five states.  So, we want to join our kith and kin in the South East to make for a more balanced and equitable Nigeria and this anomaly is despite the fact that there are Igbo people in at least 13 states of the federation: Abia, Anambra, Ebony, Enugu, Imo, Delta, Rivers, Edo, Kogi, Benue, Cross River, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom. Not many people know this fact.

“We the Igbo also lost the civil war, hence, all sorts of injustice are meted out to us and is the main reason why some are afraid to identify as Igbo. But the rest of Nigeria rightly sees us as Igbo. How can your name be Igwe, Ifeanyi, Okonkwo, Adaeke, Okolie, Nonso, Chukwuma, Emeka, Chukwuka or Chukwudi and you say you are not Igbo? Your wife and children identify as full-blooded Igbo, but you say you are not Igbo because of fear and loss of privileges attached to the status quo?”

‎‎State creation will usher jobs for the indigenes and contracts for our people. New local government areas will be created, and that translates to more councilors and local government chairmen for our people. Nobody can occupy more than one position at a time. Not even Senator Nwoko, as popular as he is because of his empowerment and good bills in the senate. In any case, he is more interested in the liberation and empowerment of Anioma people as envisioned originally by his grandfather, Osadebe and others like Nosike Ikpo, Dafe Idisi, Humphrey Iwerebon, George Orewa, Nduka Eze, and the like. Anioma already has a functional state capital. So a lot of money will be saved because we are not building from scratch. Youths will be gainfully employed in the state civil service because non indigenes will have to go to make room for our people. Anioma also produces oil and gas in commercial quantities in addition to agriculture, fishing, and trading. With job creation, crime greatly diminishes as idle youths are gainfully employed and engaged.

‎The zoning controversy is making some of your Anioma people nervous. Why?

‎‎Some people need to be assured that we lose nothing from being in the South East. We will still remain Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) members like Abia and Imo States, which are both oil and gas-producing core Igbo states. Revenue is only shared based on states and local government areas. Zoning is not even mentioned in the constitution at all, so no state is superior to the other. No state money can be spent in another state. Lest we all forget, the Igbos and Yoruba and the Hausa Fulani all supported the creation of the then Mid-Western region via Nnamdi Azikiwe of National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), Obafemi Awolowo of Action Group (AG)and Tafawa Balewa of the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC). Now is the time to create Anioma as states and local governments are awash with cash under the All Progressives Congress (APC) today and all classes of Nigerian citizens deserve to benefit from it. Ideally, all zones should have the same number of seven states like the North West and the South East can have a second state created from any of Aba, Adada, Anim, Etiti, Orashi or Orlu states requests. With that all zones in Nigeria will feel less marginalised, and unity will be enhanced.