By FRANKLIN NWANI

IT is important to acknowledge before we set out, that the bill before the Senate for the creation of Anioma State out of Delta State is one of the most progressive bills that can come out of the National Assembly under the present democratic dispensation. The sponsor of the bill, Senator Ned Nwoko, deserves commendation for bringing this issue to the front burner. Nwoko is the senator representing Delta North in the Senate. He is the chief servant of the nine local government areas that make up Anioma territory. 

I can say with a reasonable degree of confidence that he is carrying out his legislative duty of effective representation diligently. If it were not so, nobody will be talking about Anioma State creation at this time the way it is being fervently discussed. I say so because the agenda on the cards is to create a sixth state for the South-East to bring it at par with other zones of the country.

Ideally, the sixth state in question should be carved out of the South-East as presently constituted. Already, the zone has brought to the National Assembly bills for the creation of states such as Orlu State and Etiti State, among others. But Senator Nwoko, an astute legislator, saw an opening in the set-up. The Aniomas who live on the western flank of the River Niger are Igbos. Even though their territory is in the opposite side of the Niger, it could be carved out into a state of its own and made the sixth state the South-East is looking for. 

To key into this agenda as Senator Nwoko has done is political dexterity of the first order. This being the case, the expectation is that Anioma people should seize the opportunity as their representative is doing by taking steps that will be in support of the agitation for the creation of an Anioma State that will form the sixth state of the South- East.

Given the noisy scenario that has ensued in parts of Anioma territory over this matter, one is constrained to ask: Which is better? To create Anioma State now and make it part of South-East or not to create it at all because the people do not want to be included in the South- East? This question commends itself for consideration given the fact that some elements within Anioma are kicking over the plan to include them in the South- East. Again, another question arises: what is wrong in Anioma being made part of South-East? I personally do not see anything at issue. Igbos of the East and West of the country are the same people. They speak the same language with dialectal variations from territory to territory. This is the pattern all over the world.

As a matter of fact, it is the Igbos of the South-East that should be raising eyebrows over this matter. If there is no Anioma on the card, the zone as it is at present will enjoy the benefit of an extra state. But they are being magnanimous and brotherly in their disposition by surrendering the opportunity to their kinsmen west of the Niger. 

For those who think otherwise, I am yet to see any reason why Igbos of the East and West should not flock together. They have always coexisted as one people, the division posed by River Niger notwithstanding. I have read a few elements from Ndokwa and Ukwuani who say they do not want to be in Anioma. Then I ask them: if they do not want Anioma, where will they belong to? The Ukwuanis and Ndokwas are Igbos who cannot afford to join a disparate ethnic entity. If they do out of foolishness, they would have condemned themselves to uprooted and upside down people.

What makes sense anywhere in the world, particularly with Nigeria of the present era, is for people to stay close to their roots. This does not just make for cohesion, it brings about a sense of mission and unity of purpose. A divided people are bound to be weak and ineffectual when challenges break out. That is why I am persuaded by the position recently advanced by one Kizito Nwankwo in a national newspaper. He said: “One of the disadvantages the Igbo face in Nigerian politics is that of the fragmentation of the ethnic group. Apart from the five South-East states, there are also indigenous Igbos in Delta, Rivers, Edo, Cross River, Kogi, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Benue states. Of all these fragments, Anioma Igbos have a clearer Igbo identity than the rest. The people acknowledge it and readily identify with the larger Igbo. Anioma as part of South- East will therefore play an integrative role in the zone. 

“It is only the uninformed and the misguided who do not know where their interest lies. That is why I am amused by the dissenting voices issuing forth from the Ukwuani and Ndokwa axis of Delta North. The problem here is that these riverine communities of Anioma think that they can deny their true origins forever. As Igbo-speaking communities, the Ukwuanis and Ndokwas will be doing themselves a world of good if they go with their Igbo kinsmen who will form Anioma State. Failure to do so will leave them as orphans wherever they decide to pitch their tent.”

I do not agree any less with this submission. It is food for thought for those who are still beating about the bush over an opportunity that should be embraced with both hands. Those who are still behaving like overfed children in this matter need to be wise. This is imperative especially now that the regions are coming. Nigeria, whether anybody likes it or not, will soon be segmented into regions. 

Needless to say that the various zones will form the various regions. When this happens, any ethnic entity that finds itself among strange bedfellows will have nobody but itself to blame. It is the idea behind this regionalism that is making the South-West to want to extend its frontiers. Yorubas in Kwara and Kogi states are ever willing to join their brothers in the South- West. Igbos, no matter their geographical location, should borrow a leaf from this. 

No segment of Nigeria is as strong, industrious and progressive as the Igbo. The race is known to be adept in breaking barriers. Their resilience is second to none. Igbos are a proud people. Its people are envied because they have a dose of self-confidence that is not easy to come by among other peoples of Nigeria. Should anybody from Ndokwa or Ukwuani land feel uncomfortable associating with this rare breed of mankind? I do not think so. What may be the case is that some elements are just afraid for no good reason. Those who are used to a certain comfort zone always have difficulty adjusting or adapting to other environments. 

For some people in Anioma territory who are used to looking westwards, an eastward diversion which their belongingness to the South-East will signpost may be creating some discomfort in them. But it is only infantilism that promotes this kind of thinking. Those within the Anioma world who are thinking along this line should grow up. An Anioma State in the South-East will bring about fresh opportunities that all concerned will cherish and enjoy. Let well meaning Aniomas join senator Nwoko, a patriot of their time, to ensure that Anioma State becomes a reality.

*‘Nwani, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja.