Prominent businessman and politician, Prince Ned Nwoko, has revealed that his decision to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was influenced by President Bola Tinubu’s promise to create Anioma State.
Nwoko, a former member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, disclosed this in an interview with Leadership Newspaper, stating that the proposed state would address the decades long demand for equity and regional balance in Nigeria’s geopolitical structure.
He emphasised that the proposed state, comprising nine local government areas from Delta North, would stimulate economic growth and infrastructural development in the region.
Ned Nwoko disclosed that President Tinubu has fulfilled his promise to fund two dams in his community, completing the Ogwuashi Ukwu Dam and constructing a new one, with nearly N30 billion allocated in the current budget. He emphasized that this achievement wouldn’t have been possible if he had stayed in the PDP, urging Igbo people to support the APC to secure more federal government projects.
“The president promised me something before I joined the APC and he has done it. He said he would help to fund two dams in our area for pipe-borne water for home-use and irrigation. In the current budget, we have almost N30 billion for the two dams – to complete the Ogwuashi Ukwu Dam and to build another one behind there not far from here (points at an area in his community).
“This wouldn’t have been possible if I had remained in the PDP. That’s why I said every Igbo man should support the APC because we can get a lot more from the federal government
The Anioma people, an Igbo subgroup in Delta State, have long agitated for a separate state to foster development and enhance political representation. Nwoko, a staunch advocate for the cause, said Tinubu’s assurance was a pivotal factor in his defection to the APC.
Nwoko, a former Rep member who secured a senatorial ticket in the last election, expressed optimism that the Tinubu administration would prioritise the Anioma State project, describing it as a “historic necessity.”
“The national chairman said President Bola Tinubu, himself and the APC leadership are supporting the creation of Anioma State as the sixth state for Ndigbo. So, Ndigbo have a duty to make sure that this happens. And for this to happen, they must support the APC across the board”, Nwoko stated during the interview.
He stressed that this goes beyond politics; it’s about fulfilling a decades-old aspiration of his people. “The creation of Anioma State will ensure fairness and bring governance closer to the people”, he said
“Look, the most important part of the story is that when the state is created, Ndigbo generally will begin to feel a sense of belonging – something they have been asking for since the Civil War ended.
“Anioma is in Delta State in the South-South geopolitical zone. How would its creation redress the agitation for an additional state in the Southeast zone to enable the zone have an equal number of states with other zones including the South-South?
It (Anioma State) will be the sixth state of the Southeast. Then, there will be another state to be called “Delta” – new Delta – with the capital in Warri that will become the sixth state in the South-South.
“We already have five states in the Southeast. Why do you divide the five states? Why don’t you come here and acquire another state because you will have more land. Do you understand the difference? Because if you divide any of the five states to get another state, you are wasting your time because you are not increasing in population, you are not increasing in land mass, you are not increasing in natural resources, you are not increasing in anything”, he said.
The Senator expressed frustration over former President Buhari’s alleged derogatory description of the Eastern States Network (ESN) and Igbo youths as a “dot in a circle.” He criticised Igbo leaders, governors, senators, and lawmakers, for not supporting their people enough, stressing the need for unity among the Igbo, who share the same language, culture, and identity.
“I hate when I remember what former President (Buhari) said when he was describing ESN (Eastern States Network) and our youths. He was angry talking about them. He said they are a ‘dot’ in a circle. You remember he said that.
“But Ndigbo generally – Igbo governors, Senators and other National Assembly members – have a duty to support their brethren; their lost brothers as it were. We need that support; we need that love. We are the same – the same language, culture, food, music, attire and the same virtually everything.
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