ASABA/Nigeria: The Chairman of the Technical Committee and Director-General of the Anioma State Creation Movement, Chief Godfrey Odogwu, has declared that the decades-long agitation for Anioma State is now closer to reality than ever before.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Vanguard, Odogwu traced the renewed momentum to the Anioma Summit of August 31, 2024, where more than 3,000 Anioma leaders, traditional rulers, professionals, youths, and market women unanimously endorsed the push for statehood under the leadership of Senator Ned Munir Nwoko.
“Since then, we have seen the Bill for the creation of Anioma State pass through the first and second readings at the Senate. Only last month, we had a very successful outing at the Senate and House of Representatives public hearings in Ikot Ekpene and Enugu, where we powerfully presented and defended our memoranda. Even if it is only one state they will recommend for creation, it will be Anioma State,” he said.
He commended Senator Nwoko, who sits on the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendment, for his resilience and heavy personal investment in the struggle. “He has invested his time, enormous financial resources, connections, and lobbying skills to get us here. Fainthearted men would have given up long ago. Today, over ninety Senators are in full support of Ndi Anioma for a state of our own, even before the third reading of the bill,” Odogwu said.
The committee, he explained, is now awaiting the Senate’s resumption for the critical third reading before moving to the referendum stage. He disclosed that sensitization and mobilization for the referendum had already begun.
On the contentious issue of geopolitical zoning, Odogwu dismissed fears that Anioma could be shifted from the South-South to the South-East, stressing that Nigeria’s Constitution recognizes no such zones. “At best, these zones are political arrangements. Our bill simply calls for the creation of Anioma State as the 37th state of Nigeria. So technically, there should be no basis for complaint,” he said.
He acknowledged that some Anioma people do not identify as Ndi Igbo despite cultural and linguistic similarities, but described it as “a mindset we are working hard to correct.” According to him, the demand for Anioma State is rooted in the quest for development, not division. “When Anioma was part of the Western Region, that did not make us Yorubas. When we became Midwest, then Bendel, and now Delta, the logic was the same. Anioma and the remainder of Delta will prosper independently. It will be a win-win,” he said.
Odogwu also recalled Anioma sacrifices during the Nigerian Civil War, including the Asaba massacres, arguing that the region deserved to be recognized as an equity state in the South-East. He cited Anioma’s historical ties with Ohanaeze Ndigbo, including the leadership of late Dr. Ralph Uwechue and the recognition of Anioma as an Igbo state in the Ohanaeze constitution.
“The fear of Anioma being zoned to the South-East is largely unfounded. It is just sentiments. We must focus on getting our state first and not worry about zoning,” he emphasized.
He further confirmed the active involvement of Anioma traditional rulers, including the Asagba of Asaba, HRM Prof. Epiphany Chigbogu Azinge, and the Dein of Agbor, who both serve as co-chairmen of the Technical Committee. He dismissed as outdated an old video where the Asagba appeared to prefer South-South zoning, stressing that the monarch is now firmly behind the movement.
On the role of other Anioma leaders such as former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, Odogwu expressed confidence in their continued support, noting that both were invited to the Anioma Summit. He described unity among Anioma sons and daughters as key to the movement’s success.
“The feedback we are getting is that the majority of Anioma people want Anioma State regardless of where it is zoned. A few may try to use zoning for cheap political points, but the sheer joy and euphoria that will engulf Anioma land when Anioma State becomes reality will sweep away all doubts. I can’t wait to see that day,” Odogwu declared.
