Senator Orji Uzor Kalu Backs Anioma State Proposal as Sixth Southeast State
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has expressed his full support for the creation of Anioma State from the current Delta State, which would serve as the sixth state for the Southeast geopolitical zone.
The Southeast is the only region in Nigeria with just five states, prompting leaders from the zone to advocate for an additional state to ensure it is on par with other regions in terms of state representation.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Senator Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, emphasized that the creation of Anioma State would help alleviate the growing dissatisfaction within the Southeast over perceived marginalization of the Igbo people.
“Anioma State should be created as the sixth South-East state. It’s the only state that will be viable to be created,” Senator Kalu asserted. “Anioma are Igbos, and they never said they are not Igbos. The sixth South-East state should be created, and it should be from Anioma.”
The Anioma State proposal, which has been championed by Senator Ned Nwoko of Delta North, aims to address what he calls a “historical oversight” regarding the distribution of states across Nigeria. According to Senator Nwoko, the creation of Anioma State would help resolve longstanding imbalances in the geopolitical makeup of the country.
He highlighted that, unlike other zones, the Southeast has only five states, with the North-West having seven, and other regions in the country also having more than five states. Nwoko pointed out that this disparity has resulted in unequal representation and allocation of resources, noting that the Southeast currently has only 15 lawmakers in the Senate, compared to the 18 lawmakers from other regions.
The proposed Anioma State would comprise nine local government areas from the present Delta State. Despite strong support for the creation of this new state, a recent committee rejected all 31 proposals for new states, citing that none of the proposals met the constitutional requirements for consideration.
Despite this, proponents like Senators Kalu and Nwoko argue that creating Anioma State would be a vital step towards balancing the geopolitical representation in Nigeria, especially for the Southeast region.
