By Fred Odu
ASABA/Nigeria: In fulfillment of his commitment at last year’s stakeholders’ summit on Anioma State creation, Senator Ned Nwoko has announced the establishment of a high-powered Technical Committee to push forward the constitutional and institutional requirements for the realization of the proposed Anioma State.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the palace of the Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Asagba Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN, Senator Nwoko said while he would handle the legislative processes at the National Assembly, the newly constituted Technical Committee would engage critical stakeholders and consolidate necessary documentation to meet the Federal Government’s criteria for state creation.
The committee comprises traditional rulers, the three members of the House of Representatives from Delta North, members of the Delta State House of Assembly from the region, prominent Anioma sons and daughters, and representatives from various professional bodies, women groups, and civil society organizations, including the Nigerian Bar Association, Anioma Congress, Onu Ika, Ndokwa Neku Union, and the Forum of Delta North Councillors, among others.
Senator Nwoko disclosed that the Committee would be inaugurated soon. He also announced that a public hearing on the Anioma State creation bill would hold on July 4 and 5 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, under the auspices of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.
Addressing the Asagba, Nwoko urged him to lend royal weight to the effort by actively participating in the committee and attending the public hearing to make a presentation on behalf of the Anioma people. He emphasized that the Anioma State project had reached its most promising stage yet, with 75 Senators already backing the proposal and more expected to join in the coming days.
The Senator stated that the effort had been fortified by high-level political assurances he received before defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC). According to him, President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje had all pledged their support for the Anioma State agenda.
Calling for unity and mobilization, Nwoko urged leaders and stakeholders across Anioma to attend the public hearing and submit memoranda in support of the bill. “This is a golden moment for Anioma, and we must not miss it,” he said.
In his response, His Royal Majesty, Asagba Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN, lauded Senator Nwoko’s legislative vigor and foresight, particularly in championing not only the Anioma State cause but also the upgrade of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba, to a Federal University of Technology.
The monarch praised the Senator for his selflessness, noting that despite running a private university and not hailing from Asaba, Nwoko pushed the bill with uncommon passion. “This shows your dedication to the greater good of Anioma, and Asaba people will never forget it,” the Asagba said.
He described the Senator’s drive for Anioma State as “missionary,” recalling how leaders like Chief Dennis Osadebe once envisioned the same cause. “Perhaps it is your time, and you will be the one to achieve what our fathers longed for,” the monarch said.
Azinge, a renowned constitutional lawyer, emphasized that the traditional institution was fully prepared to rally grassroots support. He confirmed that his own engagement with President Tinubu earlier in March revealed strong alignment between the presidency and Senator Nwoko’s efforts.
On recent political alignments, the monarch highlighted the significance of the APC-led federal majority. “With the current political arithmetic and realignment, it appears Anioma State is on the verge of becoming a reality,” he noted.
He concluded by urging all Anioma sons and daughters to unite across political and cultural lines to seize the moment and actualize the long-standing dream of statehood.
