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State Creation, How Wise Will The Southeast Be? By Eugene Uzum Esq. Nigerian Reformers Academy Leeds United Kingdom
The Southeast region of Nigeria is preparing for a new bride. The Constitutional Amendment Committee and the Political Reform Conference had among their recommendations that a sixth State be created for the Southeast geo-political zone, to equate the number of States within the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. This is a welcome development especially with the fact that other geo-political zones have six states within a region while the Southeast have just five. The creation of an additional State is not coming without the usual political wrangling that embodies State creation in Nigeria. Looking back, a large chunk of the present South-South region used to be part of the Eastern region especially Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River and Akwa Ibom States. They were formerly known as the Oil Rovers Protectorate. Also the defunct Bendel State and present Edo and Delta Statea had Bendel Ibos stretching from Asaba to Ndokwa, Ika kingdom down to Igbanke in the present day Edo State. The implication is that the Igbo Nation is far bigger than the five Eastern States as it is today. The irony of it all is that in the so called map of Biafra, all these areas listed above was part and parcel of Biafra meaning that the Igbos understand that if they are diplomatic and sincere to themselves they can expand territorially and move beyond the confines of the pocket size territories they have today.
The North, which used to be a contemporary of the South- East, has to its advantage the territorial mass of the whole of Northwest, Northeast, North-Central and the Middle Belt. Even parts of Benue-Idoma axis, which shares a lot in cultural affinity with the Igbos, are grouped as Northerners.
In the West, Afenifere stretches from the six western States to Kwara and Kogi with the Yoruba interest paramount and well protected. Much of this was achieved by the big brother role played by the Western Region in making sure that Odua interest and territories were not Balkanized to the disadvantage of the generality of the Yorubas. What is happening to the East? Nothing more than relegating themselves to a pocket size territory, which is a big disadvantage in the power game of politics. Permit me to say that, practically, the Igbo nation starts and ends with the five Eastern States while in theory and by virtue of the Biafran map they stretch across Ibo speaking Delta to Ibibioland. This confusion within where Igbo starts and ends is the chief architect of their marginalization in the frontline of Nigerian politics. Therefore Igbos has been marginalizing themselves. Many questions are waiting for answers, they include, if the Ikwerres, Egbelus and Ndonis of Rivers State are Igbos or if the Ibo speaking Delta and Ibo speaking Edos (Igbankes) are part of the Igbo Nation, what structures are on ground to get these kingdoms back for a sixth Igbo State?
The Political Reform Conference did recommend in its submission that a sixth Igbo State be created and the Committee on Constitutional Amendment did recommend same, all in a bid to wake the blind sleeping giant but to my chagrin some self serving Igbo leaders are recommending Adada State, Urashi State, Aba State, Orlu State and maybe Umuofia State. The Igbos need no consignor to tell them that what they must go for is convincing Ibos outside the present five Eastern State for a brand new Igbo State like Anioma State or Ndoni Andoni State. The proponents of Urashi, Adada or so State are politically myopic as the creation of any State within the five present Eastern State will be hypocritical. The bellicose contention that a new State should be created within the five Eastern State while Ohaneze is making frantic to unite all Igbos irrespective of their State and region amounts to a conflict of ideology. Ohaneze even went as far as making a Delta Ibo indigene in the person of Col. Joe Achuzia their Secretary-General, therefore who is fooling who? Below is the number of Local Governments as it stands in Nigeria today.
SOUTH EAST 95 LOCAL GOVERNMENTSSOUTH WEST 137 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SOUTH SOUTH 122 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS NORTH WEST 186 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS NORTH WEST 112 LOCAL GOVERNMENT NORTH CENTRAL 121 LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
That is how it stands regarding the number of local governments within each region. With an additional State like an Anioma State, the South East will have more local governments and still maintain the former status quo, more federal appointments, more members within the Senate and the House of Representative, more population, full integration into the oil producing zone and most of all, more territories. How many Local Government Areas can an Adada State muster? Your guess is as good as mine.
The name Anioma is more of an Igbo expression than Ebonyi or Anambra. Proximity to Anambra is an added advantage and there is little or no barrier in language neither is there a lacuna in religion and culture therefore Igbos should actualize their dreams of integrating their folks or remain a second-class Nation forever. The consequences of not having an Anioma State and fronting a glorified Local Government in the East as a State cannot be underrated. According to Akbar Hashiemi Rafsanjani of Iran, the greatest enemy a man has is his ex-wife, because she is so far, yet so near and most times knows the man more than he can imagine. The Anioma nation will not want to be an ex-wife to the South-East but will as well not force herself to be reintegrated as there is a deep lacuna.
The Igbos of River State and Delta State are to large extent comfortable. Viewing from the present political climate in both States they cannot be said to be pushovers in their various rights. The Ibos of Delta and Rivers States have been seen and heard politically, and as such my wakeup call to the Igbo Nation should not be misconstrued for an SOS appeal. Rather it should be seen as a pragmatic opinion radically calling on Igbo leadership to move from the old Brigade of fanatical Igboism to a more modern global stage. This will go a long way towards answering the Igbo question regarding political leadership in Nigeria.
EUGENE UZUM ESQ. NIGERIAN REFORMERS ACADEMY LEEDS UNITED KINGDOM |