The Chairman of Adada State Creation Movement, Chief Hon James Ugwu, has reacted to ongoing debates on the creation of an additional state for the Southeast in the National Assembly.

The Chairman in this interview,  reaffirmed that Adada should be the state to be created in Southeast for equity, justice and fairness, warning nothing to the contrary should be done.  Excerpt:

How would you react to a bill for the creation of Orlu State for Southeast?

As far as I am concerned, it is not a threat. The constitution specified the modalities on how states are created.  I don’t believe that states are created simply by moving motions on the floor of the House. Section 8 (1) particularly outlined the methodologies. It involves the signatures of the stakeholders, including elected local government chairmen, councillors, House of Assembly,  senators, and House of Representatives from the area demanding such state creation. They must all sign that they want the state, then send the request to the National Assembly. That is the time you could begin to think of moving motions. But the Orlu case is just to stand up and say you are moving a motion for its creation. I’m not sure they did what I just outlined, otherwise two constituencies of that area would not have pulled out.  But knowing who the mover of the motion, Hon. Ugochinyere, is and his closeness to the leadership of the House of Representatives, we would also not take it completely as a joke. Something else may be in it. They may believe that because somebody like Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has access to the Presidency, anything can happen. Can you imagine that a bill passed the first reading, and somebody is already clearing a site for the Orlu State secretariat, playing god! They are joking, but we should not sweep it under the carpet because of how Nigeria is. Anything can happen.

Tell us the background to the division of northern and southern Igbo zones in 1970?

I believe that Hon. Ugochinyere is a very responsible man. I know he will see the truth in what I’m saying. This also applies to every reasonable Igbo person. I also request that the Presidency and the entire leadership of the National Assembly see reasons in what I am going to say. Sometime in 1970, there was a request for the creation of Wawa State, which is Enugu today. The application was submitted to General Yakubu Gowon (rtd). In that document, which I have, Southeast is sharply divided into two, with equal population and landmass. We have the southern Igbos, known as Ndi Agbenu. The northern Igbos are known as Ndi Wawa, comprising Ebonyi and Enugu today. Southern Igbo presently have Abia, Anambra and Imo states. People should morally see reasons that if any state should be created, it should be Adada, which is from the northern Igbo. Apart from that, if you talk about qualifications, Adada is the most qualified. We met all the criteria from the beginning. We don’t have dissenting voices. It was 100 per cent signatories of all councillors, House of Assembly and National Assembly members from the areas requesting for Adada State. The governments and people of Ebonyi and Enugu states are supporting Adada State.

Is Adada viable to be a state?

Minerals to sustain the state are not a problem. We have them in abundance. We have tertiary institutions in abundance. Adada is qualified.

What are the implications of creating a state from the southern Igbo?

If a state will be created in Southeast to make up six states as other regions of the country, with some having more, and you give that slot to southern Igbo land, they will be having four, and then the northern part will have only two. And you are thinking about regional administration! States are created for development and not for crisis. If they create one from southern Igbo, it is crisis that they are looking for. We will not be part of any regional administration in Southeast if that is done, and we have the constitutional right to determine where we shall belong. If they have four states, and we have two, normally one goes to the centre by representation. If we are required to send in two representatives, they will bring eight, and the northern part will bring four. We would have become slaves. We would not be part of that kind of arrangement. But if they want to do the right thing, the best thing is to create Adada State so that southern Igbos will have three states and northern Igbos will have the same. When we talk about regional administration, we would all go there with happiness. If you think that because you have contacts with the president or something like that, you can do anything, we will also do anything we like, and that means crisis instead of development that state creation is meant for. I appeal to our brothers and sisters in southern Igbo to see reasons the sixth state should be given to the northern Igbos. President Bola Tinubu and members of the National Assembly should also see reasons to this effect. I recall the Ararume Committee, in 2006, recommended Adada. That was when Chief Obasanjo wanted to give us this very sixth state. The National Assembly leadership from the Southeast invited us to Owerri. After hearing the submissions of the agitators, they went back to Abuja, looked at the submissions, and decided to go by voting. They were ten, two per states—one senator and one House of Reps. Adada had five votes, Aba had two, Orashi had three and Njaba had zero. That remains the only decision of Southeast as far as state creation is concerned. What that means is that the choice of the South Easterners as far as the sixth state is concerned remains Adada State. Also, the 8th National Assembly disqualified all state creation agitators except Adada. All they said that the person that signed our application was a former public officer. We went to court, up to the Supreme Court. We proved to them that we submitted correctly. The apex court said we were right, but said they were not to create states, but the National Assembly.

How much support does Adada have?

The support is overwhelming. It is the entire Enugu and Ebonyi states, including people outside the two states. Many sincere people in the southern Igbo land supported Adada. That was why we got five votes. Nothing has changed other than the gimmicks of people who think they are semi-gods. They should not think like that. It is dangerous.

What is your message to the people of the proposed Adada State?

Our people are always resolute. I urge them to keep on supporting the efforts. They should remain law-abiding. There is God. Let whoever is by your side know the truth. We met recently, and our National Assembly members are up and doing. They know what they are doing. They are very supportive.