Ned Nwoko calls for united Igbo support for Anioma state creation
Senator Ned Nwoko has called on political leaders and stakeholders across the South-East to unite in support of the proposed Anioma State, urging a coordinated push to actualise what he
Senator Ned Nwoko has called on political leaders and stakeholders across the South-East to unite in support of the proposed Anioma State, urging a coordinated push to actualise what he described as a historic opportunity for the Igbo nation.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Nwoko appealed to proponents of various state creation movements in the region to set aside individual agitations and consolidate efforts behind the Anioma initiative.
The senator’s call came amid growing momentum for the proposed state within national discourse.
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The campaign recently received a boost following remarks by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who reaffirmed legislative and political backing for the proposal, noting that the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains committed to its realisation.
Nwoko highlighted Akpabio’s position that the agitation for Anioma State is historically justified, anchored on equity, administrative efficiency, and balanced national development. He added that the proposal is receiving priority attention in the 10th Senate and holds strong potential to drive socio-economic growth.
The lawmaker also outlined the geopolitical and economic benefits of creating Anioma State, particularly for the South-East. According to him, the new state would reconnect the region to key coastal corridors through Delta State, providing access to the Atlantic Ocean via existing waterways and riverine infrastructure.
He noted that such access would open maritime trade routes, improve logistics, reduce reliance on congested ports outside the region, and boost industrialisation, exports, and investment in sectors including shipping, agro-processing, oil and gas support services, and inland transportation.
“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 is demographic and geographic bargaining power and undermine the tired insult that the region is just a dot on the map.
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“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 said.
Nwoko further stressed that the creation of Anioma State would enhance national cohesion by linking culturally and historically connected communities across Delta, the South-East, and parts of Edo State.
He also urged advocates of other proposed states in the region, including Anim, to avoid pursuing parallel campaigns that could weaken collective bargaining power.
“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, adding, “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.”
