By Vincent Osakwe
Anioma, the dream state of Igbo-speaking people of Delta State, has long been on the cards. But at no time did it gain more currency and impetus than now. Anioma State creation is the buzz of the moment. It is, as we say in local parlance, the talk of the town. And we owe all this to Prince Ned Nwoko, the visionary senator who is poised to lead his people to the Promised Land.
As the senator representing Delta North, the geographical territory that is agitating for Anioma State, Nwoko, through the bill for the creation of Anioma State currently receiving attention in the Senate, has demonstrated that he has the power of intuition. He knows what his people want and he is focused on meeting them at the point of their needs. As a strategic thinker, Senator Nwoko brought the right impetus to bear on the idea of Anioma State when he took it away from the very familiar. The senator enlarged the coast for the proposed state when he sought to have it grouped among the South East states. This novel idea is the unique selling point that Anioma has. It has made it such a beautiful idea that it is receiving so much attention from all and sundry.
Because of the freshness of the idea that Nwoko is selling to all concerned, even some of those who were initially pussyfooting over Anioma State have now come to embrace the idea fully.
No doubt, some elements within the Anioma territory feel somewhat uncomfortable with the plan to group Anioma, when created, among South East states. The problem here is that of fear of the unknown. People like to cling to their comfort zones, especially when they do not know what the other option holds for them. That is the way humans behave. But such fears should hardly apply in situations such as the one under consideration. No state under a geopolitical zone is beholden to the other. None loses its identity or is subsumed under another. Each is autonomous in its own right. Geopolitical zoning is a mere political arrangement aimed at breaking the country into manageable entities for administrative purposes. No one entity is known to swallow the other.
As for those who are shying away from the South East because they do not want to be associated with the Igbo, an Anioma group, Ndokwa Elite League and Assembly, has reminded them of the fact that “every other ethnic nationality in Delta State calls any one from Ndokwa, Ika and Oshimili ethnic nationalities an Ibo man. The idea and belief that you do not want to belong to the Eastern Region does not change your identity. You would first give up your culture and tongue before you could reject being called an Ibo man or easterner.” This is instructive. It is food for thought for those who are living in denial.
Regardless of these little hang-ups, the quest for Anioma State creation remains on course. As a matter of fact, those who were skeptical about it initially are gradually embracing the idea. Anioma State has become the toast of all concerned. This can easily be seen from the developments within Anioma territory itself. The Ndokwas, for instance, who were initially reluctant to join the Anioma train, have fully come to identify with it. Just the other day, a coalition of Ndokwa groups under the aegis of Ndokwa Elite League and Assembly came out to endorse the creation of Anioma State as proposed by Senator Nwoko. It admonished those who are afraid to embrace change to wake up since change is a fact of human existence.
Following on the heels of Ndokwa Elite League and Assembly, a coalition of clans, kingdoms and communities from Delta North senatorial district has also come together to endorse Anioma State, as proposed by Nwoko. All of these are new and welcome developments. They go to show that the initial opposition from some quarters is fading away.
Besides the unity of purpose from Anioma people, the Igbo of the South East fully welcome the idea of Anioma State. Since Nwoko presented his bill to the Senate, there has been no whimper from the East. No person or group has come forward to denounce Anioma State creation or its planned inclusion in the South East. This shows that what matters in this matter is the creation of Anioma State not the geopolitical zone it will belong to.
All things considered, Senator Nwoko deserves a lot of applause. I would say that the man did not just step out to make a case for the creation of Anioma State, he thought it through before going public with it. That is why the idea is succeeding. Those who initially opposed the idea have come to see the superiority in Nwoko’s delivery. Interestingly, everybody is lining up behind the senator in the bid to bring this big idea to fruition.
The Ned Nwoko approach to state creation differs radically from what many others are doing. Across the country, there are agitations for state creation. Some, like Senator Nwoko, have tabled theirs before the National Assembly. But nobody is talking about such agitations because they lack force and impetus. Many of them are ill-thought-out. They were thrown up just for the sake of trying to belong. But we are beginning to see the difference between the contenders and the pretenders. The pretenders have gone to sleep with their poor ideas. But the contenders are trudging on. They are wading through the landmines and they are surviving because they are working with an idea whose time has come.
Indeed, Senator Nwoko has weathered the storm. What is left is for his people to reap bountifully from the fruits of his labour. For those who do not understand what representation means, Senator Nwoko has demonstrated it through the agitation for Anioma State. Sooner or later, Anioma, the ideal state of western Igbos, will come to fruition.
• Osakwe writes from Abuja