State Creation: ljaw Group Urges Sen. Manager To Pursue Toru-lbe State Creation At The Senate

By Francis Tayor, Warri
As the intellectual agitation for state creation across the Federal Republic of Nigeria gears up, an ljaw interest advocate group under the aegis of Concerned Citizens For Izon-Ebe Development (CCFID), has called on the senator representing the good people of Delta South Senatorial District at the National Assembly Abuja, distinguished Sen. James Manager to make move and submit application for the creation of Toru-Ibe State to the Senate Committee on Constitution Review ably led by the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege for consideration.

The group in a press release on Wednesday at Warri, signed by its leader, Comrade Oyinbi Onduku, noted that the call on Manager became imperative holding to the fact that he is our elected representative saddled with the responsibility to speak for the interest of the people.

Onduku stressed that the creation of the long agitated Toru-lbe state by the minority ljaws scattered across Delta, Edo, Ondo, Akwa-lbom, Rivers and Cross Rivers states would address the problems of minority, underdevelopment as well as unemployment issues when granted. He stressed that if the Senator representing Delta Central, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege and that of Delta North, Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi can make case for their people at the appropriate time, that means there is urgent need for our own representatives to do the same.

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According to Onduku: “The minority problem of the ljaws who are the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria is as a result of our dispersed settlement scattered across Delta, Edo, Ondo, Rivers, Akwa-lbom and Cross Rivers state in the country. Out of the five states mentioned above, the ljaws are only privileged to have two serving senators, which are; Sen. James Manager from Delta and Sen. Abiye Sekibo from Rivers State. The other three states, the ljaws have no representative, hence they find it difficult to attract the presence of government to their plights.”

“However, l am using this noble medium to call on our distinguished Senator Manager to liaise with his Rivers state ljaw counterpart, Sen. Sekibo to vigorously pursue the creation of Toru-lbe state for the minority ljaws scattered across the above five states mentioned.

“The earlier the better, especially now that Constitution review as well as application of additional state creation process is ongoing at the National Assembly, Onduku concluded.”