By Chidiebere Onyemaizu
Like a festering sore, agitations for the creation of new states by various geo-political blocs in the country have refused to thaw. A year into the life of the Tinubu administration, the clamour has resumed with vigour and vehemence and the agitators seem not to be in the mood to back down until their objectives are realised. Intensification of the clamour is believed to be conditioned by the exclusion in the political power calculus of some ethnic groups and sub geo-political zones in the states they are currently grouped in.
How President Tinubu intends to address the burgeoning demand for new states remains unclear but there are feelers that the Presidency is not averse to the idea of working with the National Assembly to explore ways to expand the frontiers of state structure in Nigeria. According to credible Aso Rock sources, the presidency is favourably disposed to the idea of restructuring Nigeria in the form of either the creation of new states or a revert to regional government and parliamentary system of government. To lay the perennial agitation for new states and restructuring of Nigeria to rest for good, Daily Sun also gathered that the presidency and the National Assembly are mulling action on the 2014 National Conference report which recommended 55 state structure for the country, rotational presidency, state police among others.
Asked to confirm the veracity or otherwise of the Presidency’s alleged move, an Aso Rock source simply told Daily Sun: “All I can say for now is that all options, all cards are on the table. There are renewed agitations for the creation of new states, there are also the demand for the implementation of the reports of the 2014 National Conference and a demand for a return to regionalism and parliamentary system of government; all these are parts and parcel of the clamour for restructuring of the country and government is not averse to any idea that can help strengthen the unity and progress of this country. Again, all cards are on the table, all options are open”
Before the advent of the present administration, other administrations before it since independence-military and civilian-were equally inundated with requests for new states. Ironically, with the exception of the defunct Mid-west Region which in 1963 was constitutionally created out of the defunct Western Region by the Prime Minister Tafawa Belewa administration, all other states were created via fiat by successive military regimes.
The unending demand for new states started in the First republic when some minority ethnic groups and geo-political blocs in the then three regions- Northern Region, Eastern Region and Western Region- alleged they were marginalised economically and politically by the dominant ethnic groups in the regions and insisted that the only way to give them a sense of belonging was to create separate regions for them. Minorities in the Western region agitated for a separate state to be carved out for them while the Cross River Ogoja Rivers (COR) movement pushed for the creation of a separate region for minorities in the Eastern Region. There was also the demand by Northern minorities that a separate region be carved out for them from the Northern Region.
While the proponent of Mid-west Region succeeded, the agitations in the Eastern and Northern Regions failed to dovetail into the creation of separate Regions out of the two regions. Political analysts posit that a combination of political intrigues and inter-party spat between the opposition Action Congress, AG led by the late Obafemi Awolowo, then Premier of the Western Region and the Northern Peoples Congress, NPC/ the National Council of Nigeria Citizens, NCNC-led coalition government at the centre played a major role in slashing the Mid-west region- today’s Edo and Delta states- out of the Western region. They opine that the creation of Mid-west region was aimed at weakening the opposition AG and its leader, Chief Awolowo.
The crusade by the minorities in the defunct regions for separate political identities further received an attention at the outset of the Nigerian civil war in 1967 when the General Gowon led Military Junta, to weaken the breakaway Eastern Region which had declared itself Republic of Biafra, effected a 12- state structure for the country. The exercise assuaged and excited some minority blocs, especially in the Eastern Region, as they got states of their own. The Eastern minorities had before then complained of alleged Igbo dominance and some prominent figures among them had kicked against their inclusion in the Republic of Biafra. Consequently, in the 1967 state creation exercise, out of the old Eastern Region, Rivers State emerged to appease the Ijaw ethnic group which, led by Issac Adaka Boro, had been vociferous in the demand for Niger Delta Region(some political commentators insist Boro was actually demanding a separate country for his Ijaw ethnic group). Also from the old Eastern region emerged the defunct South Eastern state which comprised the present day Cross River and Akwa Ibom states. These two geo-political entities were active in the COR movement and also in the vanguard for the creation of a separate region for Eastern minorities
And out of the Northern Region emerged the defunct Benue-Plateau state comprising the present day Kwara, Kogi, Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau states. These five states together with Niger State are today collectively referred to as Middle Belt and North central interchangeably.
The civilian administrations of Presidents Shehu Shagari, Olusegun Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, all grappled with intense agitations for the creation of new states. In fact, had Shagari completed his second term, his administration would have probably made history as the second democratically elected government in Nigeria to have successfully created states for before he was kicked out of office by the Buhari military Junta, the President had set up a committee headed by Vice President Alex Ekwueme to come up with an acceptable number of new states to be created. The Committee had reportedly settled for a 50- state structure for Nigeria up from the then existing 19 states. The recommendation was to be sent to the then National Assembly as an Executive bill but this was never to be following the overthrow of the Shagari government.
The renewed clamour for new states which is currently dominating the centre stage of national discourse is somewhat centred on the emotive issue of an extra state for the Southeast geopolitical zone to bring it at par with other zones. In a recent letter to President Tinubu, an elder statesman and former Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clarke, while calling for the implementation of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference, urged the President to give the Southeast a sense of belonging.”The Igbos of the South East deserve to have a sense of belonging in this country. All that is required is for us to demonstrate reciprocal respect, love and understanding to one another. Let us do what is right, let us accommodate one another, and be fair to one another”, Chief Clarke said.
While the other zones have six states each with the exception of Northwest which has seven states, the Southeast has just five. At the 2014 National Conference, delegates had unanimously agreed that the Southeast deserved an extra state and subsequently recommended for its creation to be at par with other zones.
In fact, a delegate from Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Aruwa had emphatically declared at the floor of the conference that the demand for another state for the South East was just and legitimate.
Apart from the extra one state the confab recommended for the Southeast, it also recommended 18 new states- three new states per each geo- political zone. The proposed new states include: Aba, to be carved out of the present Abia State; Katagum, from Bauchi State; Ijebu, from Ogun State; Amana, from former Sardauna Province; Apa, from Benue State; Anioma, from Delta State, Savannah, from Borno State; Etiti, from South-East, Njaba/Anim, from Anambra and Imo states, and Adada; Gurara, from Kaduna State; Ghari, from Kano State;, New Oyo from Oyo State; Orachi, from Rivers State; Ogoja, from Cross River State; and Kainji, from Kebbi and Niger states.
According to Chief Goddy Uwazurike, a lawyer and former President of Aka Ikenga, an Igbo socio- political and cultural organisation, the feeling of sense of marginalisation and injustice fuel the recurring demand for state creation. Chief Uwazurike who moved the motion for the creation of an extra state for the Southeast and three new states each for the six geo-political zones at the 2014 Confab told Daily Sun that the agitations will persist as long as marginalisation and injustice against certain sections of the country persists. “The clamour for state creation is a natural one that rose from one thing -the injustice from the injustice that was done when the various state creation exercises were made by the various military regimes. For example, the Southeast has five states while the rest of the geo-political zones have six except the Northwest that has seven. This is injustice. Military regimes created states and they perpetrated this injustice against the Southeast. The last time a civilian government created a state was in 1963 when the Midwest region was created. At the National Conference, we were able to convince everybody that the injustice cannot be allowed to continue, hence the unanimous decision to create one more state for the Southeast”, Chief Uwazurike told Daily Sun.
He admitted that the constitution laid a stringent condition for state creation but argued that the recommendations of the 2014 Confab had made it a lot easier for new states to be created. President Tinubu will stamp his name on the annals of history if he looks into the report of the 2014 Confab. It is important he does so”, Chief Uwazuruike said.
Anyebe Stephen, a social affairs commentator and strong advocate for the creation of Apa State out of the present Benue State agrees with Chief Uwazurike. According to Stephen, “the Idoma nation has suffered untold political marginalisation since the creation of Benue state; we have been told point blank that Idomaland is a minority tribe in Benue and therefore will never produce a governor. “This brazen exclusion of Idomaland from the political leadership of Benue is what is fuelling the agitation for the creation of Apa state.
“I stand for Apa State 100 percent, and I also support 100 percent the creation of an extra state for the Southeast because just like the Idomas, Igbos have been unjustly treated politically in Nigeria; just like we the Idomas, the Igbos have endured wicked political exclusion and marginalisation over the years”, he told Daily Sun
The current clamour for a new state was triggered by a recent bill seeking the creation of Orlu State out of Imo and parts of Anambra sponsored by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere Imo, representing Ideato North and South in the House of Reps. Surprisingly, the bill has already passed first and second reading raising speculations that powerful forces were using Hon. Imo to test the waters but the lawmaker insists he is seeking the creation of Orlu State to address the imbalance the Southeast is suffering in the Nigeria project. However, Senator Ned Nwoko’s dramatic bill calling for the creation of Anioma State out of the present Delta State as a sixth Southeast state appears to have greatly diluted Hon. Imo’s push for Orlu state as many in the Southeast believe that an Anioma state as part of Southeast will reunite Eastern Igbos with their Western kits and kins across the Niger river.
While presenting his bill titled, “The Need for the Creation of Anioma State to Balance Representation in the South East” Senator Nwoko said, “the creation of Anioma State is both urgent and compelling. This proposal addresses the longstanding imbalance in the geopolitical distribution of states in Nigeria. The South East geopolitical zone currently has five states, unlike its counterparts, except for the North West, which has seven states. This disparity results in an imbalance of representation and resources, with the South East having only 15 lawmakers compared to the 18 lawmakers of other zones in the senate. This inequity affects legislative representation and the distribution of national resources, perpetuating a longstanding injustice.
I am presenting a bill for the creation of Anioma state to correct this historical oversight. Anioma is composed of nine local government areas, six of which are rich in oil and gas resources. The region also boasts significant human capital, making it a viable and sustainable candidate for statehood. Creating Anioma State is not just about increasing the number of states; it is about ensuring fair representation and resource allocation for the South East.
“The creation of Anioma State is a crucial step towards achieving justice and equity for the Southeast. With the majority of stakeholders in agreement, it is time to act and bring Anioma State into existence, correct the past imbalances and ensure fair representation in national affairs”
Meanwhile, while the idea of Anioma State as part of Southeast excites many in the region (Southeast), not everyone in Delta North senatorial district which, according to Senator Nwoko’s bill, will constitute the new state, is enamoured by the idea. They accuse Senator Nwoko who represents Delta North senatorial district of playing to the gallery and unitarily plotting to cede Anioma as Delta North is called to the Southeast.
While Senator Nwoko said his proposal will address the imbalance and marginalisation the Southeast has suffered over the years in the sharing of national cake, Daily Sun gathered that a powerful pressure group made up of influential political stakeholders and the intelligentsia in Delta North have swung into action to ensure that in the event that new states are to be created, Anioma will not be ceded to the Southeast.”The idea of Anioma as one of the Southeast states is sickening”, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP from Agbor who would not want his name in print told Daily Sun.
Dr. Anthony Nwaezeigwe, a historian and Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria Nsukka, who is from Delta North is one of those who have rejected Senator Nwoko’s proposal. In a lengthy article, Dr Nwaezeigwe accused Senator Nwoko of plotting to water down Igbo presence in the South south with his proposal, stating that Anioma is a multilingual and multiethnic population that encompasses the Igbo, Edo, Yoruba, Igala, and Isoko ethnic groups.
A social Affairs commentator, Frank Ofili is also not disposed to the idea. Said he: “If Ned Nwoko succeeds in taking us to the Southeast, then we can forget about our aspirations as a people. If Anioma State cannot be created as we are today, then let us remain the way we are”
Similarly, a socio-cultural Agbor group, Ikoro-Agbor welcomes the idea of Anioma State but vowed to resist its inclusion in the Southeast. In an open letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, the group said: “The Agbor Kingdom has had no shared history, governing commonality or association with the Igbo before or after British colonialism. While we remain fellow compatriots since the independence of Nigeria in 1960, we have had no relatable administrative experience with South-Eastern Nigeria.
“Arising from these stated facts, IKORO-AGBOR dissociates the land and people of Agbor from the proposition of Senator Ned Nwoko which we believe has been published to the National Assembly, the Presidency and other public institutions for consideration. We therefore by this publication declare Nwoko’s unilateral affiliation to the South-East null, void and of no binding effect on Anioma people.
“The mandate of Senator Ned Nwoko, representative of Delta North in the 10th senate of the Republic of Nigeria does not include any permission to railroad or bond the Delta North or Anioma people to a political union with South Eastern Nigeria without the democratic consent of the people expressed in a plebiscite.
“We hold that any re-arrangement in the political affiliation of the Delta North senatorial district will require a plebiscite to seek a democratic validation as was done before the creation of the Midwest Region in 1964. Agbor was an integral part of that epochal political experience.
“The Agbor people remain united with their Anioma brethren in the advocacy for Anioma State, following in the leadership role played by our own Dr. George Oka Orewa of blessed memory, whose pioneering leadership united the Anioma people in the quest for their own state and identity.
“Ikoro-Agbor expresses the firm resolve of Agbor people to remain a strong advocate of a future Anioma State that will be solidly an integral part of the South-South region of Nigeria”
Like the proposed Anioma State, the proponents of the creation of Ogoja State out of the current Cross River State have rejected suggestions that a future Ogoja State should be made part of the Middle Belt. The proposed Ogoja State is currently Cross River North Senatorial district and shares boundaries with Benue state, Ebonyi state and the Republic of Cameroon. The distance between the Senatorial district to Abuja, the FCT is about seven hours. Some communities in the proposed Ogoja State not only share cultural similarities with the neighbouring Benue communities but inter-marry and inter-trade, hence, Daily Sun learnt, some elements in the Middle belt want it included in their zone.
However, one of the prime supporters of the creation of Ogoja State and Senator representing Cross North, Senator Agom Jarigbe Agom has rejected the move.
“Ogoja belongs to the South-South of Nigeria.
We do not belong to the Middle belt because our people are in the South-South, our culture, our tradition; and we cannot be classified as belonging to the Middle because we are not”, Senator Jarigbe fumed.
Meanwhile, Daily Sun has learnt that President Tinubu is under pressure from those with whom he was in the trenches over three decades ago fighting for democracy and institution of fiscal federalism(euphemism for restructuring) to restructure the country, whether by the way of transmitting an Executive bill for the creation of new states or a revert to regionalism and Parliamentary system of government or the implementation of the report of the 2014 Confab now that he is the President. President Tinubu was reportedly reminded that as a pro- democracy activist, he had fought for restructuring of the country and now that he is the President, it is only logical that he initiates the process and bring it to fruition.
Daily Sun has however been informed that pro- restructuring National Assembly members are mulling the wholesale adoption of the 2014 Confab report which they insist, if implemented, represents the much talked about restructuring. There are however, others who prefer a complete return to regionalism as proposed by a Dr Akin Fapohunda, a chieftain of the pan-Yoruba socio- cultural organisation, Afenifere.