Enugu– A one-day South-east Youth Stakeholders confab was held in Enugu on Tuesday to discuss the issue of creation of new States in the South East region and the way forward for the Igbo ethnic nationality.
The conference which was held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium gymnastic hall, was organized by the Igbo Youths Form, with the theme: Creation of New State in South East: Which Way Forward for Ndigbo.
The conference which was attended by the Chairmen and Secretaries of State and Local Government chapters of the forum in the five South East States, featured three guest speakers, including Mazi Omife I. Omife, national president of Association of South-East Past Presidents-General (ASEPP), from Anambra State, Chief Emma Chima, former PDP chairman of Udenu LGA, Enugu State, Comrade Ebube Abara, a political analyst from Ebonyi State and Barr. Charles Nnorom, national secretary of Igbo Youth Writers of Nigeria, from Imo State. In a lead speech, Mazi Omife I. Omife went down memory lane on how the South East had been marginalized for several years by being the only geo-political zone with five states while all other zones had six and above, and said now was an opportunity for Igbos to do their political home work very well to determine the best approach to the issue of creating an additional state in the South East.In his opinion, Mazi Omife said that given the political circumstances in the country, the best option for the Igbos was to rally round our brothers across in their demand for Anioma State, which began more than half a century ago.
He argued that the creation of Anioma State will give the South East a larger land mass, larger population and more human and material resources, as against the present set up where the South East geo-political zone not only has the least number of States but also the least land mass, which led former President Buhari to call us a dot in the circle.He also argued that the Anioma people had all along identified themselves as Igbos and never at any time in history denied their Igbo roots, unlike some Igbos in other geo-political zones who are denying their Igboness and even changing their Igbo names to strange and fictitious names.
In his two hours marathon speech, Mazi Omife held the audience spell-bound as he traced the role of Anioma people in the Biafran war during which they were fully involved until the end of the war, with many of them holding command positions in the Biafran army, such as Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu died leading a Biafran force to defend Nsukka at the onset of the war, Col. Mike Ndukwe Okwechime, Navy Commander Frank Anukwu, Brigadier Nwawo, Col. Joe Achuzie, Col. B.S.A. Nwajei, Col. Ochei and a host of others.At the end of the war, he said, Anioma people paid a deadly price for their involvement in Biafran war in form of mass execution of hundreds of their youths by Nigerian soldiers in what he described as one of the most gruesome atrocities in history.He added that until today, Anioma has been part and parcel of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and part of its leadership in the likes of late Amb. Raph Uwechue who was a one-time Ohanaeze President-General, and late General Achuzia, former Ohanaeze Secretary-General among others, Mazi Omife said that it was based on the points he raised that the Association of South East Past Presidents-General is lending her unflinching support for the creation of Anioma State.
While saying that there was nothing that stopped South East from demanding more than one new state, given the way they have been marginalized for years, but that Anioma State should be given first consideration as it best serves and satisfies the political and economic interest of the Igbos by expanding the geographic, demographic, political, economic and cultural frontiers of the South East.He however cautioned against Igbos demanding a multiplicity of new state creation as that can mar the chances of getting even one State. He finally appealed to Igbo politicians, especially our governors, senators, and national assembly members who have a lot of political power and influence to help to give justice and equity to our Anioma people and at the same time enhance the political and economic power of Ndigbo in Nigerian body politic.
At the end of his speech, the entire participants rose in a thunderous ovation in support of Mazi Omife’s submission, In his own address, Chief Emma Chima said he supported the first speaker’s position hundred percent but spoke in support of Igbos demanding two new States but not beyond two. He said that in line with the principle of first come first served, the next Adada State was the next qualified, because the demand for Adada State started before the civil war. He said the proposed Adada State, like Anioma State will also expand the geographical area of South East as it will include Igbo speaking population of Kogi and Benue States. His submission again received the applause of participants.The other two speakers in their respective brief speeches aligned with the submission of the first and second speakers, both warning against politicking the issue of new State creation in the South East by way of too many demands.
After the speeches, the moderator of the conference Chief Toby Eke, called for contributions from the participants. Virtually all the participants who spoke aligned with the proposal for Anioma and Adada States, with three participants advised against demanding more than one new State in the South East, which is Anioma.
