As the agitation for the creation of Anioma State continues to gain national momentum, Professor Dozie Chukwuokolo, National Secretary of the Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), has called on all proponents of other proposed Igbo states to step down their demands and rally behind Anioma as the legitimate sixth state of the South East.
Professor Chukwuokolo made the declaration during a courtesy visit to Senator Ned Munir Nwoko on Tuesday. He explained that Anioma represents the most unifying and sensible option for the South East’s long standing demand for parity with other geopolitical zones.
“I am excited that the sixth state is coming for Ndi Igbo, and that sixth state is Anioma, Igbo is one and will continue to be one. This is my personal view. Other Igbo people need to understand the need for Anioma to be the sixth Igbo state”, he stated.
Responding, Senator Ned Nwoko, who is currently sponsoring the Anioma State Creation Bill (SB. 481) in the Senate, reiterated his conviction that creating Anioma is the most sensible and equitable route toward addressing the imbalance faced by the South East.
He noted that Prof Chukwuokolo’s position mirrors what every fair minded Nigerian already knows, that the creation of Anioma is not just an ethnic aspiration but a constitutional correction.
He said that while he welcomes other voices pushing for equity, the idea of Balkanizing existing South East states to create a sixth one is counterproductive.
“We should be thinking of integration, not fragmentation. Anioma is the natural and historical sixth state of Ndi Igbo. Its creation will heal wounds, and reinforce the Igbo position on restructuring the Federal Republic of Nigeria in a tangible way”, Senator Ned Nwoko stated.
Echoing this line of reasoning, veteran columnist and political analyst Amanze Obi, in his Vanguard column, urged the Presidency and the National Assembly to focus their attention on Anioma as the most viable and well-defined proposal among all current state creation agitations.
In his words, “Unlike Anioma, whose territory is very well defined, those behind Orlu or Njaba State have not taken time to delineate properly the territory the proposed state should cover. That explains why there have been pockets of disclaimers about the idea.”
Obi maintained that the Presidency and the legislature have a duty to take the least rancorous route to balancing Nigeria’s geopolitical structure, beginning by giving the South-East its sixth state.
He emphasized that Anioma deserves priority because “those behind it have done a good job of their agitation, including its grouping as a South-East state,” adding that such a step would “heal wounds, calm frayed nerves, and right the wrongs of the past.”
According to him, other agitations appear disorganized and driven by expansionist motives, unlike Anioma, which stands as a model of unity, structure, and purpose.
