The Anioma State Creation Movement has lauded Senator Ned Nwoko for spearheading renewed agitation to carve out an Anioma State from Delta State.
According to the media director of the movement, Tonnie Osita Oganah, Nwoko is “a focused and patriotic leader” whose efforts have rekindled a decades-long struggle for a distinct Anioma polity and equitable representation for Igbos west of the River Niger.

To Oganah, the proposed state would correct historical imbalances that have left the Igbo nation with fewer states and marginal allocations.  Specifically, he explained that Anioma people, who share language, culture, and traditions with Igbos of Anambra, Abia, Imo, and Ebonyi, are distinct from the other ethnic groups in the South-South region. He argued that the proposed state naturally fits into the South-East geopolitical zone.and would be a strategic step towards balancing the nation’s zonal structure, as the South-East remains the only zone with five states.

He also highlighted that Anioma already has the infrastructure to function as a state, including Asaba as a ready-made capital with an international airport, universities, and industries.

He added: “Anioma people can thrive in any zone in Nigeria because we have been in the western region and now in the South South with strangers who have nothing in common with us, whereas in the South East our kith and kin have so many traditions and languages which are similar to ours.”

He commended President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the National Assembly for their openness to state creation, expressing confidence that Anioma would be one of the new states to be created.