Members of the Alumni Association of the renowned Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, Aniocha/Oshimili chapter, on Monday converged on Asaba for their 2024 Annual Lecture.
The theme of the Lecture was: ” Critically Analysing Anioma State Creation In South East Nigeria “.
In his welcome remarks, the President of the group, Hon Okolie Peter Isioma, reminded members of the spirit behind the founding of the body, which was to lend support to Aniocha/Oshimili sociocultural initiatives for the overall development of the Anioma region.
Hon Okolie identified the agitation for the creation of Anioma State as one trending issue that needed to be discussed and critically analysed by Anioma stakeholders, hence it was chosen as the theme of the Lecture
He explained that having a state of their own would give independence to the people of Anioma and serve as a catalyst for meaningful infrastructural, human capital and political development of the area
In his detailed presentation, the guest speaker and Director, Delta State University Business School, Prof. Olannye Ajulu Peter, said the agitation for the creation of Anioma State was started by Nigeria’s foremost nationalist and political leader, Chief Dr. Dennis Osadebay, who identified that the Igbo speaking people of the then Midwest region were lumped together with tribes with whom they had no cultural similarity.
Prof Olannye said the agitation was anchored on addressing historical grievances, long standing systematic marginalization, inequitable deprivation, and persistent Injustices, directed at the Igbo ethnic nationality and South East geopolitical zone in general, pointing out that Chief Dr. Osadebay sought to have a homogenous group that could align the Igbos of the then Midwest region with their Eastern neighbors who had a strong affinity and language similarity with them.
The guest speaker stated that the Anioma state agenda was a political movement aimed at creating a separate state for the ANIOMA people; focusing on enhancing their socio- economic development, preserving their cultural identity and boosting political representation, adding that creating Anioma State for the people of Delta North would give them a clear identity and affinity with their kindred brothers across the Niger.
On where the proposed Anioma State should rightly belong, Prof. Olannye advocate the creation of the state as the sixth in the South East to equalize with other geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
He argued that creating a new state in the South South world being the number in the region to seven and make the other region to agitate for additional states, which would be chaotic for the polity.
Prof. Olannye said the envisaged challenges and concerns of having Anioma state created in the South East were material, insisting that having the state was the ultimate goal of the agitation.
He commended Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North in the National Assembly, for reviving the agitation and urged Anioma critical stakeholders to sink their differences and support him to actualize the dream.
The guest speaker recommended that instead of politicizing the move, it should be subjected to discourse in order to come up with a harmonised position, adding that there was the need carefully address and effectively manage the envisaged challenges and potential conflicts so as not to derail the process
The event featured the launch of the group’s 2025 calendar and the presentation of awards to deserving personalities of Anioma extraction at home and in the diaspora.
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