Ben Ezechime, Enugu
Senator Okechukwu Ezea, representing Enugu North senatorial district and some other leading figures in the Enugu zone of Enugu State, have called for the creation of Adada State out of the present Enugu State.
They made the call in Enugu when the National Assembly Committee on State creation held a public hearing for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution for the South-East zone.
Speaking, the Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial District, Senator Okey Ezea, said that the proposal for the Adada state creation has met the relevant section of the 1999 constitution and recommended it for approval by the National Assembly.
Also speaking, the former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Nnia Nwodo told the National Assembly that the proposed Adada State out of the present Enugu State was the most competent among other proposed states in the South-East zone.
According to him, Adada had met the constitutional provision for creation of state by the act of parliament and for subsequent presentation for referendum to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Quoting relevant sections of the constitution, Nwodo said 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.
He submitted 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 has 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 for the creation of the proposed Adada state.
He recalled that Adada State was already recommended for creation by the 2014 constitutional conference under Justice Idris Kutige as the only state slated for creation.
According to him, Adada was the most viable prospective state in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria with its abundant human and natural resources.
He reflected that Adada was the most agitated state in Nigeria that remained denied even after every other provinces in the country has been awarded with states, except for Nsukka province.
Nwodo stated that in particular, Adada or the old Nsukka zone had remained the only colonial zone in the northern Igboland that has not been made a state capital, whereas the southern parts of the Igboland have attracted three states leaving its northern counterpart with only two states.
He argued that equity demands that if any other state should be created in the South-East, Adada should be given utmost priority with its agitation dating back to 1983 on the floor of the senate, before any other proposing state in the zone.
He 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 states while the rest of the southern parts of Igboland 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 percent 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 governments in Enugu State. Six of the local governments are in Adada and one in Enugu East senatorial zone.
“We are hoping that your efforts will give us dividends.
“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 the same vein, the Chairman of the Adada State Movement, Chief James Ugwu, disclosed that the request for the creation of Adada State started immediately after the Nigeria civil war in 1970, when it was presented to the then Head of state, General Yakubu Gowon.
He maintained that the creation of Adada smState will resolve the internal imbalance in Igboland with the northern Igbo (Wawa people) having three states to be at par with its southern flank of Igboland that already has 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 referendum.”
