NED NWOKO’S STATE CREATION BILL

 Ambrose Nwandu contends that Nwoko’s crusade for Anioma State is in order

I was delighted the other day when I read the position of the Igbanke people of Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State on the state creation bill brought before the Senate by Senator Ned Nwoko. The upper legislative chamber has before it a bill for the creation of Anioma State out of Delta State. The bill has since gone through the first reading on the floor of the senate.

In a well considered position paper published in national dailies a few days ago, the Igbanke Strategic Group indicated their interest to be included in the proposed Anioma State. Their reason was straightforward. The Igbankes are the same people with Ika communities such as Agbor and Mbiri in Delta State. They do not just share a common boundary with these Ika communities in Delta State, they have a common linguistic and cultural affinity. Since their kith and kin in Delta State are about to be grouped into a distinct state called Anioma, the Igbankes of Edo State see it as a historical opportunity to be united with their kinsmen from whom they have been severed for more than two decades following the splitting of Bendel into Edo and Delta States. In other words, the Igbankes are asking for proper placement in a federal Nigeria that is gradually going regional. They are commending Senator Nwoko for his effort in seeing to the creation of an Anioma State that will bring all the people of the same linguistic and cultural group West of the Niger into one fold so that, together, they will take their destiny in their own hands. The Igbankes, being of the same language and cultural group with the Ikas of Delta State, do not want to be left out. They want to be part of Anioma State. This move by the Igbankes is both strategic and sensible .

Let us recall that Senator Ned Nwoko brought a bill for the creation of Anioma State to the senate. The proposed state will be made up of the nine Igbo-speaking local government areas of Delta State which form Delta North senatorial district. Nwoko represents the area in the Senate. Since this bill was tabled before the Senate, it has generated so much interest. In fact it is as if the bill for the creation of Anioma State is the only one before the National Assembly. Whereas one or two other state creation bills are just being heard, Anioma is the only one that is being fervently discussed. The reason for this is simple. Senator Nwoko brought strategic thinking to bear on the bill. He is not just asking for an Anioma State that will bring together all the Igbo-speaking people of Delta State, he wants the state, when created, to be included in the south east geopolitical zone. This is the catch. It is the strategic turning point in Nwoko’s bill.

By proposing that Anioma be included in the south east zone, Nwoko was looking at the big picture. He sees the sense in having people of the same linguistic group come together under one umbrella. This will not only make for cohesion, it will make for strength. When a people are balkanize in different language groups and regions, they will not be able to speak with one voice. Consequently, they will be weak. This is not what Senator Nwoko wants for his people. He wants an Anioma State that will stand strong by being part of a larger Igbo group.

Significantly, the big picture which Nwoko is seeing through association with the south east is what the Igbankes are seeing through their desire to belong to Anioma. The dissenting voices in the Anioma State creation exercise should learn from the position of the Igbankes. Their position is wise and well thought out. They know what is good for them and they are going for it. Even though a minuscule few are raising eyebrows over Nwoko’s idea of Anioma State, they have not been able to advance any argument that should dissuade anybody to the contrary. If anything, the naysayers are living in denial. Some are trying to run away from their roots. They want the world to believe that they do not belong to the Igbo ethnic stock. I pity those who have pushed themselves into this pitiable corner. They should wake up to the reality of the situation and put their hand where their mouth is. A people cannot wander forever in the wilderness of rootlessness.

It is for this reason that many believe that Ned Nwoko struck the right chord when he brought the south east dimension to bear on Anioma State creation. He has a product to sell. What he needs to get that done is the right marketing strategy. Senator Nwoko is doing well in this regard. He has demonstrated that representation is a serious business. Whereas many go to the National Assembly and spend years on end without making an impact, Nwoko is a true representative of his people. It takes a man who is well schooled in the history and sociology of his people to go into strategic thinking as he has done.

The situation of the Aniomas is such that they need a lot of bonding to be able to recognize their full selves and true identity. While some like the Ika stock are under threat of assimilation by the Binis, the Ndokwa and Ukwuani people tend towards the Urhobo. All of this has been to the detriment of their true Igbo origins. Over the years, this anomaly has festered apparently because the Igbos of the East who form the bulk of the Igbo population are an endangered species in Nigeria. The fallout of the Biafran war has made them objects of stigmatization by non-Igbo Nigerians. They have been grappling with state policies that are clearly skewed against them. Given this state of affairs, the Igbo outside the south east stock feel it is safer to stay off the Igbo radar for the sake of survival.

But this tendency by some Igbos of the western bloc has not helped their cause. They have never succeeded in changing who they are. Rather, they have only succeeded in making themselves objects of derision. They are caught in a web of dilemma. They are neither here nor there.

Now, Nwoko, the man who understands his environment, is set to bring his people out of this state of confusion. He is out to bring them back to where they belong. He seems poised to end decades of identity crisis that his people have subjected themselves to. He is ready to bring his Anioma people into one big umbrella so that they will, henceforth, be proud to say who they truly are and own up to it. For this alone, Senator Ned Nwoko deserves commendation.

He is a man for all times.

Dr Nwandu, a sociologist, writes Abuja.