Political stakeholders from the Old Aba Division, comprising the nine local government areas of Ukwa-la-Ngwa, under the platform of Aba State Movement, have called on members of the National Assembly from Abia and other states of the southeast to support their agitation for the creation of Aba State.
This is as the group has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for having the courage and will to initiate the process of creating an additional state in the southeast, which they said previous democratic governments lacked the courage and political will to consider as a priority in order to bring the southeast at par with other regions of the country.
They said that they were confident that despite the nay sayers, the Tinubu led government will be the first civilian administration that will create an additional state in the southeast, Aba State in particular.
The group who made the call in Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State on Thursday in a press conference said that the creation of an Aba State was long overdue.
Spokesman of the group, who is retired Attorney General of the state, Theo Nkire lamented that the agitation for the creation of an Aba State has lasted for over 70 years, stressing that other areas in some parts of the country that started the agitation to become a state with Aba, have had their request granted.
“Aba has satisfied all constitutional requirements as listed in section 8 of our constitution. We have even gone further to move round the country. We have visited 23 State Houses of Assembly in Nigeria and go their support which is the second stage after referendum.
“We have visited the states to lobby them for support and they gave us their support. I am not saying that, that is going to carry us now because there are new Assemblies all over the place, but I am sure that we will be able to do that when the time comes.
“The position of Aba is that, that sixth state which the National Assembly has set out to create in the southeast zone is Aba. we have invited you over to Aba to sell to you, our beautiful bride; Aba, the pride of the eastern Nigeria as the sixth state for the southeast zone.
“The question now is, why Aba? Why not any other state? Our answer is simple, the case for Aba is different, distinct and unique.
“Aba is made up of nine local government areas namely, Aba North, Aba South, Isiala Ngwa North, Isiala Ngwa South, Obingwa, Osisioma Ngwa, Ugwunagbo, Ukwa East and Ukwa West, some of the states existing in the country today had only three or four local government area councils when they were created. Examples are Kebbi, Bayelsa, Ebonyi and others.
“Aba is the oldest demand in the nation. Our people first asked for a state in 1952 and made a presentation to the Willings Commission in 1957; that is over 70 years ago.
“Aba has fulfilled all the constitutional requirements as stipulated by law; section 8 of the Nigerian Constitution. Aba was approved for referendum by both arms of the National Assembly in June 1983.
“Almost all the states approved for referendum at that time have been created as a state in Nigeria, so why not Aba?
“Aba was one of the four states recommended for the Southeast by the National CONFAB of 2014 under the government of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan regime. 19 new states were recommended by the CONFAB for Nigeria, which would have brought the total number of states from 36 to 55.
“Twice in our history, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has recommended Aba as the sixth state for the southeast, first, by a committee headed by Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu of the Blessed Memory in 2015 and three years later by another committee headed by Prof. Chigozie Ogbu, a former deputy governor of Ebonyi State. In 2018, he was the deputy President General of our great organization (Ohanaeze Ndigbo).
“Aba is economically viable in commerce, industry, agriculture, etc. One of the reasons that Aba is called the Japan of Africa is because of the indigenous technology. That is why one of our leaders ; Dr. George Azubuine Nwigwe. When you talk about palm oil, eastern Nigeria survived on palm oil and the area that we call the new Aba State was the palm oil belt of the eastern Nigeria.
“The area demanding Aba State has remained intact; the people united in their quest for over 70 years. There is no change in our boundaries and no single village has opted out in the 70 years. There is cultural affinity among us. The Ukwa and Ngwa people who constitute this area have remained as brothers.
“If you look around, you will be surprised that the biggest street in this city (Aba) is called Asa road. There is Asa Nnetu, Asa Okpuaja, Asa Amaoka in Aba and other of our villages named after Asa because they originally migrated from Asa. So, there are lots of affinity among the Asa, the Ndoki and the Ngwa people.
“The importance of Aba to the Igbo nation cannot be overemphasized because Aba is the center of the eastern Nigeria. Aba is everything to not just the southeast, but eastern Nigeria. Most of our leaders wherever that they maybe today, at one point or the other in their lives, lived and work in Aba.
“When we create a state called Aba, we will be creating a mini Nigeria
“There are stages in this demand, we have been talking generally about the creation of states, but today, we are talking about the creation of additional state for the five states in the southeast region.
“Our request is to the southeast caucus of the Senate and House of Representatives. Our request is first to them, and when we succeed there, we will return to the National Assembly where our case is very well known for over 40 years.
“People talk about size and population. Those are no issues for state creation. My children live in America and my family lived in America. You have heard of a state called California? They have 39.75 million people in a state. New York is also very large both in landmass, population and resource. Texas also has a large population. But side by side with Texas, California and New York is a state called Wyoming. As I speak, Wyoming population is less than 5million people. They are not yet up to 500,000 people but they sent two senators to the US senate like other bigger states do.
“But because Wyoming is so small, they send only one Rep to the House of Representatives. So, size is no issue, population and landmass is no issue. The issue is what will the people want? How can they sustain themselves? I have told you that we have cultural affinity among the nine local government areas and we have had that before the white people came here. We are not a creation of colonialism. We have always being together.”
Disclaimer: infonte9ja.com shall not be liable to Opinions, Articles or Features that doesn't emanate from any of its staff and management. We also wish to reiterate that such personal or sponsored opinion, article or feature does not reflect the views of the publishers of infonet9ja.com, but the writer's
For publication of your news content, articles, videos or any other news worthy materials, please send to infonetnews9ja@gmail.com | For Advert and other info, you can call 09061217047 or send a WhatsApp Message to 09061217047
Asked if their agitation for an Aba State was endorsed by Gov Alex Otti, Nkire said “Our governor is with us. You will hear from him shortly. If the governor wasn’t in support, he wouldn’t have asked the elected councilors, local government Mayors and members of the Abia State House f Assembly to endorse our movement. With that singular act, it shows that the governor is in support of the creation of Aba State.”
