Hon. Ikenga Imo addressing the press
By Benard Akoma
Only a people destined to fail pursue a goal uncoordinated, disjointed and without focus, says Great Imo Jonathern, a public commentator. One thing that is agreed in the whole of South East today, he said in a viral video, is the desire for an additional state at least to bring the region at par with others. This imbalance in the number of states in the south East is one example commonly cited as evidence of injustice being meted to the region. If created, the South East, which currently has only five states—Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Anambra, and Abia—will match the number of states in five of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.
But ask the Igbo region today to present one state to be recognized, the evidence of that marginalization reels out as self inflicted one. Presently not less than four or more new states in the South East region are being demanded for in the national Assembly. This babble of voices, Imo regrets, are coming from same people who are desirous of having just an additional state to the five that presently exist. Currently, Adada, Orlu, Etiti, and Anioma states have been proposed in various bills in the Senate and House of Representatives.
Sen. Ned Nwoko
Some Lawmakers from the region, it appears, Imo says, seem to believe that the only way their presence in the national Assembly could be reckoned with is to sponsor a bill for state creation only in his domain or zone where he will reign as the king of the minor, Imo laments. They propound various reasons to justify the need for their own desired state to be the one to be created from the zone.
In the Senate, Senator Ned Nwoko from Delta North (APC) introduced a bill for the creation of Anioma State, which has passed the first reading. Nwoko argues that this bill addresses historical issues and imbalances. On his X handle, Nwoko argued, “The creation of Anioma state is both urgent and compelling. This proposal addresses the longstanding imbalance in the geopolitical distribution of states in Nigeria. The South East geopolitical zone currently has five states, unlike its counterparts, except for the North West, which has seven states.”
Senator Nwoko’s Anioma State bill followed immediately on the heels of that of Honourable Imo Ugochinyere’s bill for the creation of Orlu State. Like Senator Nwoke bill, Ugochinyere’s bill has also passed the first reading in the House of Representatives. He equally agrees that the South East should have the same number of states as other regions as a reason for his proposal.
Yet on July 2, 2024, Senator Okey Ezea from Enugu North also introduced a bill for the creation of Adada State, which as well have passed the first reading in the Senate. Ezea stated. Ezea’s argument is that his own state is the most acceptable in the zone, saying, “although there have been proposals for the creation of other states out of the geopolitical zone over the years, none has been as acceptable and as qualified as Adada.”
The same day in the national Assembly, a bill from five members of the House of Representatives seeking the creation of Etiti State also passed the first reading. The lawmakers—Amobi Ogah, Miriam Onuoha, Kama Nkekama, Nnabuife Clara Chinwe and Anayo Onwuegbu proposed Etiti State saying that its capital will be in Lokpanta, a locality in Abia State. Their argument is that the proposed Etiti State will be carved out of parts of Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, Imo, and Anambra comprising the present five states of the region.
Great Imo Jonathan, the social commentator, said that though the awareness for the demands of another state in the south East is justified but he condemned the uncoordinated approach to the pursuit of such goal by the Igbo lawmakers. According to him, “they are just presenting the Igbos as a laughing stock before the public.” He noted that the individualistic approach to the demand by South East Lawmakers appears more self-serving and political than even practical. He wonders instead they would rather unite to lobby other colleagues, in view of their limited numbers in the assembly, for a common purpose, they are only more interested in achieving what he described as cheap political points for themselves.
Though Great Imo argues that among the demands for states creation in South East, Anioma state is the most apt. According to him, “the creation of Anioma, he insists, will help to bring together, Igbos who are balkanized and thrown to different regions.” This however does not vitiate the strong arguments already in place for others like Etite state. But an Elder Statesman and second Republic Minister for Education, Professor Ihechukwu Madubuike, highlighted that all the states being canvassed for now in the national Assembly are not new suggestions. According to Vanguard news, Madubuike affirmed that Orlu state is indeed the only new entrant in the demands for state creation in the South East. Credited to vanguard news Verified Twitter page, the statement, said to have been made on Wednesday, Madubuike was quoted to have reiterated that that the demands for additional State in the South East was vigorously canvassed for in 2005 Olusegun Obasanjo Confab and Goodluck Jonathan Confab of 2014.
Meanwhile Imo has called on the South East stakeholders such as Ohaneze and governors of the region to streamline the demands of the region in order to present a common front.
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