The Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Ede Dafinone, has declared that the creation of Ethiope State presents an opportunity to correct decades of historical imbalances, empower the Urhobo Nation, unlock a new frontier for economic and social development and preserve cultural identity.
 
Speaking at the House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Review public hearing at the Chief D.S. Alamieyeseigha Banquet Hall, the Government House, Yenagoa, Dafinone, who is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content and Legislative Compliance, emphasised that the proposed state would rectify long-standing inequities faced by the Urhobo people, Nigeria’s fifth-largest ethnic nationality and the dominant group in Delta State.
 
The Delta Central lawmaker stated that the Urhobo have long faced structural exclusion within the nation’s current state configuration, despite their demographic significance and economic contributions.
 
The proposed Ethiope State, according to the Urhobo people’s submission, would encompass the two Urhobo kingdoms in Warri South Local Council Area, the Urhobo people in Patani Local Council Area, and all eight predominantly Urhobo Local Council Areas. 
 
This consolidation, Dafinone argued, would reflect the “demographic and administrative foundation for statehood” that the current structure fails to acknowledge.
 
Beyond correcting historical injustices, the Senator highlighted the immense economic potential of an Ethiope State, adding that the Urhobo people inhabit some of the most productive oil fields in Nigeria. Yet, their communities remain underdeveloped and sidelined in resource management decisions.
 
He said: “Urhoboland is a major oil-producing region, yet the people have limited influence over how these resources are managed or reinvested. Ethiope State would enable greater control over local resources, catalyse economic growth, and promote responsible resource governance in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).”
 
He further detailed a robust economic foundation for the proposed state, citing substantial oil and gas reserves, vast fertile land suitable for large-scale agriculture, access to coastal areas and seaports, particularly Sapele and Warri, offering enormous potential for fisheries, aquaculture, and maritime trade. He also noted that the proposed state would boast of solid mineral endowment and extensive forest reserves with commercial quantities of timber.