South East at sea over demand for new states

DESPITE the difficulty posed on the issue of state creation by Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution, it was a wonder that the issue dominated affairs at the South East zonal public hearing on the review of the constitution in Enugu.

The immediate implication is that the stakeholders in the zone face the challenge of managing the flurry of demand by the five states of the zone for an additional state in the zone.

To start with, almost all the states put up strong demands that the ‘new state’ be carved out from their state. The demand for a new state turned out to be the crux of the public hearing.

At the end of the hearing, about seven demands were submitted to the Senator Uche Chukwumerije led committee for harmonisation before submission to the National Assembly.

The proposed states include Adada from Enugu, Aba from Abia State, Orashi from part of Imo and Anambra states, Equity from Imo and Anambra, Anim also from part of Anambra and Imo states, Orimili state from Imo and Etiti, which will draw membership from the five states of the zone.

To streamline the demands and possibly reach a consensus, it was gathered that a meeting of political, religious and traditional leaders of the zone is being proposed in Enugu on Wednesday.

Sources said it will not be the first time the leaders are meeting on the issue, and that previous meetings never achieved much as the proponents found it difficult to shift grounds while each wanted the new state.

It was learnt that the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu recently summoned a meeting of political leaders at his residence in Abuja, where he told bluntly told them that unless they worked together, the zone could miss out on the demand for a new state.

Ekweremadu had outlined the implications and difficulties posed by the creation of state, and harped on a united approach in order to garner the sympathy of other zones.

At the Enugu meeting, the leaders in the agitation as well as other stakeholders would analyse how the location of the state would impact on the development of the zone.

A source pointed out that, “although the zone is demanding additional states, we know that this will be based on economic viability, sustainability and the interest of the South East. It is not for the creation of an empire that will be governed by an individual.”

At the Enugu public hearing, Enugu State submitted that the new state should be called Adada with its capital in Nsukka, “which is the oldest province in the country that had not been named a state.”

At an emergency meeting on November 1, the 24 lawmakers of the Enugu House of Assembly unanimously resolved that the sixth state in the South East should be called Adada and carved from Enugu. Stressing that it was an agitation whose history dates back to 31 years ago, they insisted that any other state creation in the country without first a consideration of Adada state would be unjust.

According to former Information Minister, Chief Nnai Nwodo, the area that makes up Adada has a landmass of about 3293.79 square kilometers and a population of 2.17 million according to the 1991 census.

He said that the agitation is the desire of the old Nsukka people made up of seven councils - Nsukka, Igboeze North, Uzouwani, Igboeze South, Udenu, Isiuzo and Igboetiti.

In 1983, the late Senator Isaiah Anih, representing the area had forwarded the demand to the National Assembly, but the process was interrupted by the military incursion into the politics.

In 1996, the request was presented again to the Chief Mbanefo led committee on state creation and boundary adjustment. And in 2006 the political reforms conference supported it. When the demand for four new states in the South East was presented and voted for, Adada scored five votes Urashi (3), Aba (2) and Njaba (nil).

Nwodo added that Adada is the only agitation that has the total support of the government of the state, stressing that three years ago, Governor Sullivan Chime three years ago inaugurated the committee for the creation of the new state.

There are agitations from Imo and Anambra, stakeholders are asking for the creation of Njaba and Orashi. The proposed state would include some councils in Imo and Anambra states.

Fromer governor of Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige explained that the agitation for Njaba and Orashi was more viable than any other proposed state in the zone. Ngige argued that never in history had a creation come from a particular state, and that Njaba would develop the abundant natural resources in the area.

He pointed out that with the location of the state, it would carve out eight councils from Imo and six from Anambra to make up a sizeable number enough to be called a state.

From Imo, the agitation for Etiti from the present state and parts of Anambra is also thriving. The agitation is being championed by the Ibiridi Ogada, known as the Supreme council of Ideato leaders of thought.

The agitation would include councils in Anambra like Aguata, Nnewi North and South, Orumba South and North and Ihiala, while from Imo councils like Ideato North and South, Onuimo, Orsu, Nwangele, Orlu, Nkwere, Oru East and West, Njaba, Okigwe would join alongside Isu and Umunneochi from Abia.

Some prominent Igbo leaders associated with the proposed state include Dr Alex Ekwueme, Imo Governor Rochas Okorocha, Prof Charles Soludo, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Prof Humphery Nwosu, Chief Ralph Obioha, Senator Andy Uba, Prof Dora Akunyili, Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe, former Governor Achike Udenwa, Senator Uche Chukwumerije among others.

From Abia, there is the demand for the creation of Aba, out of the present Abia and parts of Rivers State. Like agitators of Adada, those behind Aba insist that it is one of the oldest state demands in the country, and that the state would not rely on allocation from the Federal Government to survive.

The proponents said its creation would also cause development in the area in view of the abundant resources that have remained untapped for years.

Also on the card is the agitation for creation of Equity. Its proponents said it would affect all parts of the South East states and would have its capital in Okigwe, which they argued is more central than other requests.

The proposed Equity State, they said would remove Awgu and Aninri councils from the present Enugu, Afikpo from Ebonyi, Okigwe, Onuimo, Orsu, Nwangele, Orlu, Oru East and West from Imo and Umunneoche from Abia among others to make up the state.

According to them: “This will mean that the states in the zone have benefitted from the new state,” adding that it was more beneficial than any other agitation from the zone.

Anim and Orimili were new demands at the public hearing and the agitators insisted that carving them out of their area was just and equitable. They insisted that since Enugu and Abia benefitted from the last state creation, which saw the emergence of Ebonyi, it was equitable for Imo and Anambra to benefit from the new state.

During the constitutional conference in 2006, the public hearing event for the South East held at the Women Development Centre, Abakaliki, Ebonyi was marked by the demand for additional state in the zone.

The gathering became rowdy following arguments by the speakers.

The Senate Committee Chairman on Works, Ayogu Eze, said that the demand had assumed frenzy heights based on the perception of people that the country needed more states to quicken development.

He said: “It will create a sense of belonging and invoke in the people the spirit of competition and enterprise. I want to note that the clamour is based on the passion the people have for their country, for its progress, unity and peace. That is why the National Assembly is paying so much attention to the review of the 1999 Constitution to give the people opportunity to say exactly how they want to be governed.

“What the clamour tells you is that the people want development. It again tells you that they are no longer comfortable with the way they were boxed together by previous administrations and that perhaps, the structure of things has been responsible for certain problems that had plagued the country. Therefore on the part of the National Assembly, we will do all in our power to give them those things they desired from the review.”

The senator who represents Enugu North had told stakeholders at the public hearing that such engagement would help reduce various scuffle in the country, as he urged the people to speak up on areas of need.

The Chairman of the Constitution Review, Ike Ekweremadu had cautioned the people of the South East especially the political class over what he described as their “unguarded utterances’ on the issue of state creation.

Ekweremadu, who noted that the National Assembly has so far received 56 requests for creation state from various parts of the country, warned that much energy should not be dispensed talking about state creation alone against other issues earmarked aimed at promoting good governance.

He said that though several other issues have been listed for amendment, state creation had received greater attention, and wondered if the only problem in the country was the creation of new states.

Assuring that the National Assembly would not disappoint Nigerians, he said that the simultaneous zonal public hearings across the country would stimulate the desired change being craved. He noted further that the National Assembly would always take the people into confidence in deciding issues affecting them.

“The consultations are necessary to help us feel the pulse of the people better. When this is done, it will help move the necessary motions and resolutions that would help check some excesses in the country today.

“We believe that part of the problems of this country is that things are not working the way they should, the people seem to have lost hope because the constitution, even as it is, has remained unworkable. Therefore, we need to give all the attention to reflect the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians.”

It is being hoped that the Enugu meeting will set the process for the zone to speak together on the issue.

The Guardian