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Chief Prince Tonnie Oganah is the Media and Publicity Director of Anioma State Creation Technical Committee. In this interview with journalists, the lawyer speaks on the quest for the creation of Anioma State. According to him, the creation of Anioma as the sixth South East state will bring about equity since it is the only region with five states in Nigeria. He also enumerates the various benefits that the additional state will generate, among other issues. JOY ANIGBOGU brings the excerpts.
Why should Anioma State be created now that the nation is facing financial and security challenges?
Our request is the longest outstanding request, and it is based on equity for the Ibo nation. Since 1951 when the agitation started amongst the predominantly Ibo 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 Obis (kings) of Idumuje Ugboko, Agbor, and Aboh, which represent the sub- nations of Aniocha Oshimili, Ika and Ndokwa Ukwuani respectively. And all of them were very active members of the Igbo union which later became Ohaneze 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 instructive and divinely appointed that senator Prince Ned Nwoko is today leading and financing the struggle originally envisioned by his grandfather and Anioma will always thank him for that. Delta State averages about N120 Billion per month as FAAC allocation and its internally generated revenue is around N10 Billion every month. Split into three parts equally, Anioma or Delta State should get N50 Billion monthly and with our very educated human resource abundance, we have no business with lack, poverty and under development. Think of Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Jim Ovia, Tony Elumelu, etcetera, and Anioma should prosper. As if that is not enough, the remaining part of Delta State will still be viable and 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 thirteen 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 Igbos also lost the civil war. Hence, all sorts of injustice are meted out to us and is the main reason why some Igbos are afraid to identify as Igbos. But the rest of Nigeria rightly sees us as Igbos. Such cowardice is very unbecoming of true offsprings of warriors that fought the Ekumekwu war. 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, which thrives on oppressing your own brothers and sisters? State creation will usher life more abundant for everyone with the creation of 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 Ned 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 (Mkpitime), 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. And lest we all forget, the Ibos and Yorubas 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 people’s 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 northwest. 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.
