ABUJA/Nigeria: As the agitation for the creation of Anioma State gains renewed national traction, Professor Dozie Chukwuokolo, National Secretary of the Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), has urged all proponents of other proposed Igbo states to shelve their demands and rally behind Anioma as the rightful and unifying choice for the long-awaited sixth state of the South East.
Professor Chukwuokolo made the appeal during a courtesy visit to Senator Ned Munir Nwoko on Tuesday, emphasizing that Anioma represents the most logical, inclusive, and historically grounded solution to the South East’s decades-long demand for parity with other geopolitical zones.
“I am excited that the sixth state is coming for Ndi Igbo, and that sixth state is Anioma. Igbo is one and will continue to be one. This is my personal view. Other Igbo people need to understand the need for Anioma to be the sixth Igbo state,” Chukwuokolo declared.
In his response, Senator Ned Nwoko, who is currently sponsoring the Anioma State Creation Bill (SB. 481) before the Senate, reaffirmed that the proposed Anioma State represents not just an ethnic aspiration, but a constitutional correction aimed at restoring fairness and national balance.
He noted that the creation of Anioma is a rational and equitable step towards addressing the political and structural imbalance that has left the South East with only five states, unlike other regions.
“Professor Chukwuokolo’s position reflects what every fair-minded Nigerian already knows, that Anioma’s creation is not about politics or sentiment. It is a national necessity. We should be thinking of integration, not fragmentation. Anioma is the natural and historical sixth state of Ndi Igbo. Its creation will heal wounds and reinforce the Igbo position on restructuring the Federal Republic of Nigeria in a tangible way,” Nwoko stated.
The senator maintained that while he welcomes all voices calling for equity, breaking up existing South East states to form a new one would be counterproductive and divisive.
Echoing the same sentiment, veteran columnist and political analyst, Dr. Amanze Obi, in his Vanguard column, urged both the Presidency and the National Assembly to give priority to Anioma as the most credible and clearly defined proposal among all current state creation agitations.
“Unlike Anioma, whose territory is very well defined, those behind Orlu or Njaba State have not taken time to delineate properly the territory the proposed state should cover. That explains why there have been pockets of disclaimers about the idea,” Obi wrote.
He argued that the Federal Government and the legislature have a constitutional and moral duty to take the least rancorous path toward achieving geopolitical balance, starting with granting the South East its sixth state.
According to him, Anioma deserves priority because “those behind it have done a good job of their agitation, including its grouping as a South-East state.” He added that such a move would “heal wounds, calm frayed nerves, and right the wrongs of the past.”
Dr. Obi further noted that while other agitations appear fragmented and politically driven, Anioma stands out as a model of unity, structure, and purpose, embodying a collective vision that aligns with Nigeria’s broader quest for fairness and federal balance.
With Senator Nwoko’s bill gaining traction in the National Assembly and prominent Igbo leaders rallying behind the cause, the push for Anioma State continues to gather unprecedented momentum as the most viable pathway toward completing the South East geopolitical structure and deepening national integration.
