WHAT REASONS DO SEN. OKOWA AND SEN. NWAOBOSHI HAVE TO OPPOSE THE CREATION OF ANIOMA STATE? - By Frank Iroroh

This Is A 2nd, July 2025, TERRAIN REPORTER ™ Exclusive News Story Article Publication Culled By Justin Okpu, Okpu, Special Assistant On Media To Distinguished Senator Ned Nwoko.

WHAT REASONS DO SEN. OKOWA AND SEN. NWAOBOSHI HAVE TO OPPOSE THE CREATION OF ANIOMA STATE?

This Article Is Authored By Frank Iroroh

This Is A 2nd, July 2025, TERRAIN REPORTER™ Exclusive News Story Article Publication Culled By Justin Okpu, Okpu, Special Assistant On Media To Distinguished Senator Ned Nwoko.

At this critical time in the history of the Anioma people. The time when the public hearing for the review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is tabbed for a nationwide debate by the Nigerian Senate. An occasion at which the Anioma State creation bill is one of the main items for the public hearing,

A time that provides a rare and perfect opportunity for the Anioma people to unite and make the last call for the creation of Anioma State, for the people to achieve their more than 50-year-old struggle for statehood.

It turned out to be the time for the two major beneficiaries of the goodwill of the Anioma people to turn their backs against the dream of the Anioma people.

Sen. Okowa and Sen. Nwaoboshi have become a clog in the wheel of the aspiration of the Anioma People..

These two former senators who represented the district in the Senate do not support the creation of Anioma State.

Okowa did not hide his disdain for Anioma State creation. Records hold that he was in the Senate during 2014 Goodluck Jonathan's National Constitutional Conference, where attempts were made to review the Nigerian Constitution.

During that Conference, Izu Anioma, Onu Ika, Ndokwa Neku, and Anioma Congress led by late Prof Chike Edozie, the Asagba of Asaba of blessed memory, and other Royal Fathers of the zone, put together a document requesting the creation of Anioma State, The document was presented to the subcommittee on the creation of states of the 2014 NCC by His Excellency, Chief Benjamin Elue, the former Deputy Governor of Delta State.

Okowa, who was a senator representing the district at the time, was conspicuously mute throughout the debate on the proposal.

He spoke only through one of his clansmen, who stood up on the floor of the Conference Hall to say that Delta North is not viable to be a state. A claim that has already been trashed by empirical analysis of the economic potentials in Anioma land.

Also, when Sen. Ned Nwoko scheduled a meeting of Ika North East Traditional Rulers at the Palace of the Obi of Owa, to present his report card and brief them on his activities at the Senate particularly on the issues of Anioma State creation, and to give them a brief on the Bill he sponsored at the Senate for the creation of Anioma State.

Okowa dispatched thugs led by Rt Hon Victor Nwokolo to disrupt the meeting of our ROYAL FATHERS. So there is no doubt that Okowa does not want Anioma State created.

Nwaoboshi (SPON), on the other hand, went to the Senate for his personal stomach. He recorded zero impact on the floor of the Senate and had a negative impact on the Anioma land. He has joined forces with Okowa, his erstwhile political foe, to oppose Anioma state creation.

Nwaoboshi is applying covert tactics to achieve his evil plan. He has recruited eminent jurists, professors, and writers to tell us why it will be impossible to create Anioma State.

We all saw Prof Sagay an eminent jury of International Repute meddling in the constitutional duties of the National Assembly.

One professor, Steve Okecha, has joined the fray of the false narrative.

My friend, Dr Emeka Esogbue, a great Anioma historian, has delved into the archive to give us a lecture on why Anioma State should not be in the South East Geopolitical Zone.

By his education and deep knowledge of history, Esogbue can not claim to be ignorant of the symbolic nature of geopolitical zones in Nigeria.

The false narratives of these individuals are propagated repeatedly by the Nwaoboshi media team and amplified by their recruits to cause confusion in Aniomaland

Talking about geopolitical zones, what does it really mean to our people? Anioma people have not benefited much from the South-South zone. But we have benefited so much from the Southeast. The investments of the Igbos are everywhere in our land. They have helped to develop our land, we know them, we have lived with them, and they have done business with us for decades.

WHY THE HATE FOR NDI IGBO

POLITICAL HYPOCRISY

Some politicians claimed they are in the South South geopolitical zone, and are not Igbos, but when they wanted to run for president or vice president of Nigeria, they put on the Igbo identity (akwa agun and red cap) the Igbo traditional attire.

President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan remembered his Igbo names when he was in office and was going for reelection for his second term.

Okowa claimed Igbo identity when he wanted to be the vice president of Nigeria,

Rotimi Amechi and Nyeson Nwike claimed Igbo identity when both wanted to run for president.

So what is wrong with us to dislike people but change into them when we want to aspire higher in national politics?

All this hypocrisy is because these politicians know that in Nigeria, we have just three tribes, the Yoruba, Hausa/Fulani, and the Igbos, and you can not aspire to be president of Nigeria or Vice President if you do not align yourself with any of these three major tribes. (ask Jona)

It goes to say that Anioma State in the South East will give these politicians more chances of becoming the president of Nigeria that is if it is zoned to South South.

Another issue that is very unusual and surprising to me is when people who bear Nwachukwu, Nwike, Amaechi, Ifeanyi Okonkwo, Ndudi, Uche, Nwokolo, and Olise, say they are not Igbos

You may brag about not being an Igbo in your bedroom, but as soon as you step out of your village, people will identify you as an Igbo man.

The bottom line is that the Anioma State creation bill sponsored by Senator Ned Munir Nwoko (SNMN) does not contain any clause or phrase indicative of the zone it should belong to SNMN is lobbying for it to be the sixth state in the Southeast geopolitical zone, because President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wants to create a state in the country for the southeast to address the imbalance in the composition of states in the six geopolitical zones in the country.

The NW zone has 7 States, all other zones have 6, but the Southeast has 5 states only. This imbalance is what President Ahmed Bola Tinubu wants to correct for equity and fairness, to give the Ndi Igbo a sense of belonging in Nigeria.

This window of opportunity is what our visionary Senator, Ned Nwoko, saw and decided to grab to bring home Anioma State.

Distinguished Senator Ned Nwoko should not be crucified for seizing an available opportunity to end the struggle for the creation of Anioma State, left behind by the late Sir Dennis Osadebay of blessed memory and other great Anioma leaders of his time.

Anioma State is a land of beauty and brains. Anioma State in the South East is home and

a win-win situation for the Anioma people.

Let's Stand for Anioma State.

Frank Iroroh is a

Member, Media Subcommittee, of

The Anioma State Creation Technical Committee.