South East Leaders To Present Case For Aba State Creation- Kalu

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, says proponents of State creation from the South East will make a presentation to defend their request before the National Assembly members.

He stated this when the leaders of Aba State Movement from Ukwa/Ngwa bloc in the current Abia State, led by the first Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of the State, Mr. Theo Nkire, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

According to him, an invitation will be extended to everyone to defend their request.

A Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives on Constitution Review, during their retreat in Lagos over the weekend, based on equity, justice, and fairness, unanimously approved the creation of an additional State in the South East region to bring it at par with other geopolitical zones in the country.

He said that the seekers of the proposed State in the region must advance plausible reasons on the population and economic viability of the proposed State.

Mr. Kalu explained that the delegation comprising Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Senator Austin Akobundu, Chris Nkwota, Munachim Alozie, Senator Nkechi Nwogu, Uzo Azubuike, Chief Sam Nkire, Eze Love Wogu, Eze Tony Wabara, Dr. Onye Achilihu, Chief Geoffrey Akara, and a host of others would be given the opportunity to speak to a wider audience of south-eastern stakeholders to convince the region of the merits of their request.

“We are proposing a meeting in early November where the whole Igbo stakeholders will make a presentation at a public hearing and give convincing reasons that they want the State. They will give statistics of the population, economic viability of the project, show the map, and all that. It must be very convincing,” Mr. Kalu said.

Earlier in his presentation, Mr. Nkire, who spoke on behalf of the delegation, highlighted the historical background of the request for Aba State, saying it is the oldest and most viable with a good economy and population to be created.

According to him, the request, which dates back to 1954, gained national prominence through a landmark presentation before the Willink Minority Commission of 1957.

He also noted that the proposed State, comprising Isiala Ngwa North, Isiala Ngwa South, Aba North, Aba South, Obingwa, Osisioma Ngwa, Ugwunagbo, Ukwa East, and Ukwa West Local Government Areas, has, since the pre-independence era, remained a cohesive socio-political and economic bloc, united by shared ancestry, enterprise, and geography.

He noted that Ohaneze Ndi Igbo also endorsed the creation of Aba State in 2018.

He, however, expressed gratitude to the national assembly for approving an additional State in the South East region.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited Edited By Grace Namiji