Ned Nwoko Urges Igbo Unity Behind Anioma State Creation

Senator representing Delta North, Ned Nwoko, has called on political leaders and stakeholders across the South East to rally behind the creation of Anioma State, as the sixth State of the zone.

He urged a unified approach to what he described as a historic and strategic opportunity for the Igbo nation.

Nwoko, in a press statement released in Abuja, said the time has come for proponents of various state creation movements in the South East to set aside individual agitations and consolidate support for Anioma State.

This call comes as the campaign for Anioma State gathers momentum within the national discourse. The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, recently reaffirmed legislative and political backing for the initiative, noting that the administration of President Bola Tinubu remains committed to its realisation.

Nwoko noted Akpabio’s description of the Anioma agitation as historically justified—anchored on equity, administrative efficiency, and balanced national development.

According to him, the current campaign enjoys priority attention in the 10th Senate and holds strong potential to unlock socio-economic growth.

Beyond its political implications, Nwoko underscored the far-reaching geopolitical and economic advantages of creating Anioma State, particularly for the South East.

He noted that the emergence of Anioma would effectively reconnect the Igbo hinterland to vital coastal corridors through Delta State, providing long-sought access to the Atlantic via existing waterways and riverine infrastructure.

According to him, this access would be transformative—opening up maritime trade routes, enhancing logistics efficiency, and reducing overdependence on congested ports outside the region.

It would also catalyse industrialisation, boost export capacity, and stimulate investment in shipping, agro-processing, oil and gas support services, and inland transportation networks, the lawmaker argued.

“Anioma State would not only serve as a strategic economic bridge between the South East and the South-South, but will expand the geographical footprint of the Southeast, strengthen its demographic and geographic bargaining power and undermine the tired insult that the region is just a dot on the map.

“Remember that for too long, the region has been unfairly labelled and constrained as landlocked. Some opinions also deride the Southeast as a dot nation, an insignificant portion of the Nigerian map. Anioma changes that narrative completely”, he stressed.

Nwoko emphasised that the creation of Anioma would not only drive economic expansion but also reinforce national cohesion by linking historically and culturally connected communities across the present-day Delta, the South East, and parts of Edo State.

Calling for strategic alignment, Nwoko urged advocates of other proposed states in the South East, including Anim, to avoid dissipating political energy on parallel campaigns.

Instead, he called for a collective front in support of Anioma, noting that such unity would dispel longstanding narratives of disunity among Igbo-speaking people on matters of common interest.

Nwoko urged Ndigbo to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps toward building cross-regional and bipartisan alliances to consolidate the widespread support already achieved for Anioma State.

“The continued agitation for multiple state proposals could inadvertently fuel division and reinforce perceptions of disunity, weakening the region’s negotiating strength within Nigeria’s competitive political landscape.

“Anioma represents a unifying cause,” he said, stressing that “It transcends state boundaries, political affiliations, and generational divides. Supporting it does not require ideological uniformity, but it does demand strategic clarity and collective resolve.”