Anioma State Quest: Ethnicity, Power Mapping and the Battle for Narrative THE call for Anioma State has resurfaced as one of the most politically loaded sub-national movements in Nigeria’s South-South, forcing a necessary interrogation of identity, ancestry, and geopolitical calculation. What began decades ago as a development-driven demand has increasingly mutated into a struggle over […]
By PAULINA NZERUBE Unity, Constitution Key to Anioma State Push GOVERNOR Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State has endorsed the agitation for the creation of Anioma State, urging proponents to pursue the goal strictly within the bounds of the Constitution. The endorsement was delivered by the Chief of Staff, Prince Johnson Erijo, during a peaceful demonstration […]
By CHUKWUEMEKE K. VICTOR FOR decades, the agitation for Anioma State stood as one of Nigeria’s oldest and most consistent quests for political, cultural and administrative justice. So when Senator Ned Nwoko tabled a Bill for its creation, the enthusiasm across Delta North was unsurprising. What shocked many, however, was the sudden political pushback—not from external […]
By AMAKA NWAKAEGO NWAEKEOMA HOW IT STARTED AND WHERE IT’S HEADING SOUTH EAST: We’re pushing for an extra state to level the playing field with other regions 🥹🥹. NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT: Fine, we’ll allocate you one more slot for a new state. 🤷🤷 SOUTH EAST: Thanks! We’ll consider Adada, Etiti, or Orlu State and get back to […]
By ENUENWOSU KESTER EMEKE NIGERIA’S political geography has never been static. It has been reshaped repeatedly — from the old regional system to today’s 36-state structure — each shift exposing competing identities, power interests, and the deep quest for equity. As the debate over the creation and zonal placement of a proposed […]
By NELSON EGWARE A fresh wave of debates over Nigeria’s next round of state creation has revived old tensions in Delta North, where lawmakers and local government chairmen are now battling what they describe as a calculated attempt to “drag Anioma into the South-East.” In a rare united front, all Delta North legislators in the State […]
By ONINIOGWU ODOBOR NDUDI OGBONNIA DEBATES over the proposed Anioma State have intensified longstanding questions about identity, heritage, and political belonging. At the centre of the conversation is the Asagba of Asaba, who insists that any new state should be limited to Delta North’s nine local governments, distancing it from ties to […]
GOVERNOR Sheriff Oborevwori has appealed for calm after Asaba indigenes staged a peaceful protest over circulating rumours that the proposed Anioma State capital might be moved elsewhere. The demonstrators marched to Government House, Asaba, demanding clarity on the matter. Addressing them on behalf of the Governor, Chief of Staff Hon. Johnson Erijo commended the protesters […]
By CHUKWUMA NDIOGULU THE debate over the proposed creation of Anioma State has once again exposed the emotional, historical, and political fault lines within the wider Igbo community. What began as a discussion about administrative restructuring has evolved into a deeper conversation about identity, belonging, and the legacies of old grievances. The Asagba of […]
By DAVID JOHN-FLUKE THE debate over creating Anioma State or Adada State has stirred strong emotions across the South-East, yet the core issues remain straightforward. Both proposals aim to address long-standing regional concerns, but their impacts are not equal. Anioma State, carved from Delta North, would bring culturally Igbo-speaking communities formally into the South-East. For […]