Aba State Movement Solicits NASS S’East Caucus’ Support

By Ijendu Iheaka

The Aba State Creation Movement Committee has called on the South-East caucus in the National Assembly to work towards the actualisation of the state as the sixth for the region.

The committee’s Spokesman and Abia’s pioneer Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Theo Nkire, made the call at a news conference in Aba on Wednesday.

Nkire said: “Two weeks ago, the joint National Assembly met in Lagos and recommended a sixth state for the South-East.

“Our position is that the sixth state, which the National Assembly (NASS) has set out to create in the South-East, is Aba, the pride of the region.

“The question now is why Aba?

“It has to be Aba because the case for Aba is different, distinct and unique in that it has nine local governments sharing cultural affinity,” he said.

Nkire recalled Aba State’s long standing demand, saying that the call for Aba State creation began in 1952, predating all other state creation agitations.

He said that Aba State “shares cultural affinity among its nine local governments, namely Aba North and South, Isiala Ngwa North and South, Ukwa East and West, Obingwa, Osisioma, and Ugwunagbo.

Nkire said that with Aba’s business prowess, productivity and creative ingenuity, even in the area of local technology, the state would be viable and self-sustaining, when created.

He also cited Aba’s economic viability, adding that Aba boasts of agriculture, commerce and industry, oil, gas and solid minerals, electricity and massive manpower, which would help to put it on the part of progress.

Nkire cited the case of Bayelsa, which began with just three Local Government Areas, pointing out that the size and population of the state would not be a problem.

He further said that Wyoming, the smallest state in USA, with a population of 590,000, has two senators, just as two senators represent big states, like California with 39 million people.

“Aba is the oldest state that had been proposed by its people for creation since 1952.

“The demand for Aba State was represented to NASS in 1982 and in 1983 the NASS recommended a referendum for its creation.

“The 1983 military takeover truncated the referendum but some of the states that were proposed for creation alongside Aba, including Adamawa, Jigawa, Katsina, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu, have all become states,” he said.

Nkire also said that the Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation, the Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, under Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Prof. Chigozie Ogbu, endorsed Aba State creation.

According to him, between 2009 and 2010, the Aba State movement visited 23 states and obtained the signatures of its House of Assembly members as required by the Constitution.

He, therefore, called on NASS to confirm Aba State as the sixth South-East state, arguing that no other proposals had these qualities.

He said the details of what transpired in 1983 were contained in the NASS Debate Records 4th Session Vol. 3, No. 24 and No. 33, which supports the proposals.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the movement at the meeting, included the Coordinator, Osisioma LGA chapter, Stanley Achonna, Woman Leader, Fidelia Nwachukwu, representative of past and present legislators from the area, Chief Uzo Azubuike.

Others were Eze Victor Nwaobia and the Chairman of the movement, Eze Love Nwogu.