Believe me, it is easier to educate a stark illiterate most times than someone with a smattering of knowledge. This is because an ignorant person knows his or her limitations and is eager to learn and not remain ignorant! A half-educated person is more difficult and dangerous to teach because he or she believes rigidly that he or she is informed whereas the reverse is the case!
That said, let me go back to the origin of zones in Nigeria politics. It was Chief Barr Architect Alexander Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme who coined the term six zones in 1977/78 during the constituent assembly, which midwifed the 1979 constitution, and he did it to stabilize Nigeria by creating three zones each for the north and south. In the north, you have north east, north west and north central. In the south you have south east, south west and the south south – or what would have been called ‘south central’. This is as far as it goes: money is not shared according to zones nor can any state’s money be taken to develop the whole zone or other states within or outside the zone! Therefore, a state cannot be annexed to a zone because zones were conceived as mere administrative convenience in order for power to be transferred or rotated at the federal level from one zone to another! Nothing more!
More important to note that when a vote (plebiscite or referendum, depending on the mode deployed by the powers that be) is called and the question is put to all registered Anioma voters, only ONE question will be on the ballot: do you want a new state called Anioma? Yes or no! Nothing else will be in issue! Not where capital will be, not where the first governor or speaker will come from, not which zone do you want to belong to!
If we all agree to zone the governor to Ndokwa and the capital to Agbor, then you will see that their people will agree to Anioma state, zone regardless! So I clearly understand the grudges of their people. Self interest first! But it is not always that selfishness should come into play as there is something called selflessness! Patriotism! Sacrifice! In a level playing field, Aniocha Oshimili will come first without any form of gang up or negative external influence. Anyi nwe madu ka lia wa. Mana ife ne gbum anya mili akwa bu ka Onye Asaba kobuIbusa, Ubulu, Ogwashiuku, Onicha Ugbo kobu Ugboko ge si si na ya abuna onye Igbo? Na ya cho na Anioma state except it is created standing alone and zoneless or left in the south south status quo zone! Kobu Ohwe ife nne whe gwa wa maka their true parentage, because only a mother knows who the true father of a child is! Ma oku o!
Anioma bu ife li nma!
Anyi choa kita kita maka ayin eje ge late! Very late! Our political leaders across all political parties (PDP, Labour, APC or even APGA and PRP) should unite and bring it to us and in return ayin cha will collectively say daalu nu and reward the party in the forefront of granting our wishes with our votes! In other words, yem Anioma first before anyi ekpeme oku zone kobu Igbo bu Igbo! Give us Anioma first and other things shall be added unto us! The only one state that can be created now because of equality of zones and Nigeria’s poor finances is in the south east zone and we should be smart enough to grab the opportunity first, whether or not other non-Anioma people want us to. Yabu wisdom because no one knoweth when another opportunity will come?
We should all educate our people, biko nu, by forwarding this message. We should focus on the message and not the messenger who is only human like you and I with innumerable faults. Let us bury our differences now and collectively work for the emergence of our dream state: ANIOMA!
By Chief Barr. Prince Tonnie Osita Oganah
