Anioma State: Ned Nwoko’s Open Letter, An Act Of Self-Glorification- Godini Darah

By Daniel Dafe

The chairman of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, in Delta State, Prof. Godini Darah, has said that “Senator Ned Nwoko’s open letter on the creation of Anioma State is an act of self-glorification.”

Recall that Senator Nwoko, representing Delta North Senatorial District in the Senate in recent times has continued to push for the creation of Anioma State.

A few days ago, he wrote an open letter to the people of Anioma, backing his call for the creation of the said state.

Reacting to the senator’s open letter, Darah, in a social media post, added: “My findings from Delta North Senatorial District reveal that the Senator has not discussed the matter with leading political lights. At the 2024 National Confab, we canvassed the support of a wide spectrum of interests across the Southsouth, the Southeast, Southwest, Northeast and Northcentral to secure the approval for Anioma State among the three recommended for our region. These are Anioma, New Rivers State and Ogoja State.”

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According to him, “in the open letter, Sen Nwoko assumes that he is the premier champion of the Anioma request.”

Adding: “That is misleading. He cites meetings he held with the Asagba of Asaba and President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2001, that is 23 years ago. What gives him the confidence that Obasanjo ever supported the creation of new states? Sen Nwoko even adds the laughable point that he is so committed to the Anioma cause that he named one of his children “Anioma”. He sounds like he is the one and only politician in Delta North who is committed to the cause.”

He continued: “The Senator’s “one-man” crusade creates the impression that his mere presentation of a Bill at the Senate will work like a magic wand to bring Anioma State into being. It does not appear that he has mobilised colleagues at the National Assembly on the issue. In all probability, he has not interacted with Confab delegates in Delta Central, Delta North and South Senatorial Districts who combined efforts in the Confab to ensure approval of the Anioma request.”

Meanwhile, he opined that “there is a weightier matter to consider;” saying: “it is very unlikely that new states will be created piecemeal.”

“All the 18 proposed states will have to be created simultaneously following plebiscite exercises,” he said.

“I wish Senator Nwoko the best of luck,” he concluded.