The Adàda State Movement stole the show in Enugu, the Enugu State capital, on Friday, July 5, at the Senate’s South East zonal public hearing on the review of the 1999 constitution, for State agitators from the South East, as former President General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and former Minister of Information, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, made a strong case for the prosed State out of old Nsukka Province, before the distinguished Senators of the 10th National Assembly.
Reeling out points why Adada is the most competent of all the State demands in the South East, Nwodo, an acclaimed orator, made his presentation with distinct clarity, backing it up with history and data and completely captivating and fascinating the Senators and distinguished crowd of guests that included traditional rulers and prominent citizens of the Adàda State Movement.
According to a statement by the media director of the Adàda State Movement, Mr. Ike Abonyi, the movement traced the history of the agitation to the General Yakubu Gowon era in 1970
Insisting that the proposed Adada State out of the present Enugu State is the most competent state proposal in the South East, Nwodo assured the Senators that Adada has met the constitutional provision for its creation by an act of parliament and for subsequent presentation for referendum to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Nwodo spoke even as the Chairman of the Adada State Movement, Chief James Ugwu, also disclosed that the request for the creation of Adada state started immediately after the Nigerian civil war when it was presented to the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, in 1970.
In addition, the Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial District, Senator Okey Ezea reassured his colleagues at the Public Hearing that the proposal for the creation of Adada State had met the relevant section of the 1999 constitution and urged them to recommend it for approval by the National Assembly.
Clarifying his claims, Nwodo pointed out that 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 said that the demands of section 8 (1) of the constitution had 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 to 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 for in Nigeria that remains denied even after every other province in the country has been awarded a state, with the exception of old 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 out of the South East, Adada should be given utmost priority, what with its agitation dating back to 1983 on the floor of the senate, before any other proposed State in the zone at that time.
Nwodo said: “There are several reasons for the creation of Adada state. One, in the South East, 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 Igbo land got three States. When you share things among your children and there is no equity, you bring anger and desperation.
“Number two, Igbos 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 grounds, 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 areas in Enugu State. Six of the local government areas are in Adada and one is in the Enugu East senatorial zone. We suffered a 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 South East.
“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 a 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 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 conscience. Thank you.”
Emphasizing the competence of Adada State demand, Chairman of Adada State Movement, Chief James Ugwu, stated that he had a request presented in 1970 to the then Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, for the creation of Adada State.
He maintained that the creation of Adada state will resolve the internal imbalance in Igbo land with the northern Igbo (Wawa) having three states to be at par with its southern flank of Igbo land with three states, while resolving the external imbalance of the South East having six States as other regions in Nigeria.
“So what we are saying is that having met the provision of section 8 (1) of the 1999 constitution, the next thing is that our request should be sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a referendum,” Ugwu stressed, commending Enugu State for his support and for not just being the democratically elected Governor of the State who is doing well but also “performing better than any other Governor” in Nigeria at the moment.
According to Senator Ezeah, Adada deserves to be created, being unarguably the only province in Nigeria that has not been made a State.
The Senator representing Enugu North in the 10th NASS reiterated that the proposed Adada State is also the only proposed State that has met the provisions of section 8 sub-section 1(a) of the 1999 constitution.
