*As Nnia Nwodo convinces Senators on the competence of the demand
The Adàda State Movement reportedly stole the show in Enugu on Friday at the Senate Public Hearing for state agitators from the South-East zone.
The former President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and former Minister of Information, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, who presented the facts for Adàda State the points he marshalled which stood out.
Nwodo’s Presentation, backed by history and data, completely captivated and fascinated the senators and distinguished crowd of guests that included traditional rulers, prominent citizens of the Adàda state Movement.
A statement from the Media Director, Adàda State Movement, Mr. Ike Abonyi, Nwodo traced the history of the agitation to the Gen. Yakubu Gowon administration in 1970.
According to the statement, Chief Nwodo informed the senators that the case of the proposed Adada State, out of the present Enugu state, is the most competent in the South-East, adding that it met the constitutional provisions for the creation by the act of parliament and for subsequent presentation for referendum to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to Nwodo, Section 8-(1) of the constitution stipulates that the National Assembly can create a new state through an Act, but only if a request supported by at least two-thirds of the members representing the area seeking the new state in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as in the relevant State Houses of Assembly, is made.
Submitting a proposal for the amendment of the constitution to allow for the creation of Adada state, Nwodo further stated that the demands of section 8 (1) of the constitution have been met by his people, displaying where all relevant legislators in the affected parts of Enugu state, including councilors, House of Assembly members and National Assembly members had all signed in concurrence for the creation of the proposed Adada state.
Nwodo recalled that Adada state was already recommended for creation by the 2014 constitutional conference under Justice Idris Kutgi as the only state slated for creation, stressing that Adada is the most viable prospective state in the southeastern part of Nigeria with its abundant human and natural resources.
He reflected that Adada is the most agitated state in Nigeria that remains denied even after every other province in the country has been awarded a state, except for Nsukka province.
Nwodo stated that in particular, Adada or the old Nsukka Province has remained the only colonial zone in the northern Igbo land that has not been made a state capital, whereas the southern parts of the Igbo land have attracted three states, leaving its northern counterpart with only two states.
He therefore argued that equity demands that if any other state should be created in the southeast, Adada should be given utmost priority with its agitation dating back to 1983 on the floor of the senate, before any other proposed state in the zone.
Nwodo said, “there are several reasons for the creation of Adada state. One, in the southeast, in the last creation of states, the northern part of Igbo, comprising Enugu and Ebonyi, ended up with a state, while the rest of the southern parts of Igbo land got three states. When you share things among your children and there is no equity you bring anger and desperation.
“Number two, Ndigbo are a very important people of this country; our population is grossly underestimated because more than 50 per cent of the Igbo live outside Igboland.
“There is no part of this country that you go to and the majority of the population outside the indigenous population is not Igbo.
“It is our enterprise, our ways of life, it is our anxiety to break new ground, and most of these people register themselves in the states where they are.
“The state that we ask for, Adada state, has seven out of the 17 Local Government Ares in Enugu state. Six of the local governments are in Adada and one is in the Enugu-East senatorial zone.
“We suffered serious injustice in the creation of constituencies here because, as usual, no Nsukka man was in the federal executive.
“Now, you will be surprised that out of the 17 local governments in Enugu state, we have only six, but we have 54 per cent of the population.
“So the other two senators represent 22 per cent each, and our own senator represents 52 per cent because they took away one local government to make up a senatorial zone.
“Therefore, for anybody in Igbo South to ask for a state here is an injury. When we started this movement was after Abia, Imo and Anambra were created.
“We approached the National Assembly under David Mark, under Ahmed Lawal, and they gave us attention and considered our programmes and submissions, but the government in power did not have state creation as a paramount agenda as you appear to have now. We are hoping that your efforts will give us dividends.
“We approached the national Constitutional conference in 2014 under Justice Idris Kutige who recommended the creation of Adada state. The only state it recommended here was Adada state.
“When Achike Udenwa was the Governor of Imo state, the entire Igbo met in Imo to choose one state, and after a very long meeting, they came to a resolution that it is Adada state, and that resolution up till today has not been revised. Adada is the whipping and neglected part of the southeast.
“I told you that we were not represented in the federal executive council. It was Silas Ilo and Jim Nwobodo at the time the local governments were created and they gave us six local governments.
“Imagine 54 per cent of the state with six local governments. This is unfair and Daniel has come to judgment with this National Assembly committee.
“The potential for Adada state is vast, we have oil and Gas reserves. Anambra state is horizontally drilling our oil in Uzo-Uwani, we have the potential for viability, economically.
“We have extensive land for agriculture; we have a navigable sea whose confluence ends in rivers Niger and Benue.
“In manpower resources, we have one of the best universities, thanks to Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, and our people took to education, so we have many professors who can manage the state. I do hope that I have appealed to your consciences.”
Adding to the competency of Adada state creation, the Chairman of Adada State Movement, Chief James Ugwu, stated that he had a request presented in 1970 to the then Nigerian Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, for the creation of Adada state.
