By Tony Okafor
For nearly three decades, the South-East geopolitical zone has remained the most structurally shortchanged region in Nigeria’s federation.
While other zones boast six or seven states, the South-East has only five.
This numerical imbalance has translated into political disadvantage, reduced federal allocation, and underrepresentation in national decision-making. It is an inequity that has persisted for too long — and now, history demands that it be corrected decisively, not halfway.
That correction cannot come from choosing between Anioma State and Etiti State. It must come from creating both.
The arguments for the two are strong, complementary, and rooted in justice. Together, Anioma and Etiti States would not only balance the federation but also restore dignity and belonging to millions of Igbo people whose voices have long been drowned by structural inequity.
The case for Anioma State is one of history and identity. The Igbo-speaking people of Delta North have, for decades, existed between two regions — culturally Igbo, politically South-South.
Their inclusion in the old Bendel, later Delta State, was an administrative decision that fractured Igbo identity after the civil war. Creating Anioma State would reunite them with their kith and kin in the South-East and correct a long-standing cultural and political separation. It would also strengthen national cohesion by resolving a historic grievance peacefully and constitutionally.
Etiti State, on the other hand, answers an internal developmental need within the existing South-East. Stretching across parts of Anambra, Imo, Abia, and Enugu, the proposed Etiti axis represents the central Igbo belt — vibrant but underdeveloped.
The creation of Etiti would bring governance closer to rural communities long neglected in the shadows of larger capitals like Awka, Enugu, Umuahia, Abakiliki and Owerri.
It would decentralize development, decongest existing states, and stimulate new centres of growth across Orumba, Awgu, Ideato, Okigwe, Ohaozara and Isuikwuato.
Creating both states is not a matter of political favour but of national fairness. Other regions have six or seven states; the Igbo cannot remain permanently disadvantaged with five. Two new states would still not exceed the count in any other zone but would finally restore parity and confidence in Nigeria’s federal promise.
Economically, both Anioma and Etiti are viable. Anioma has Asaba — already a functioning capital with infrastructure, a commercial base, and strategic proximity to Onitsha.
Etiti, rich in agriculture, education, and enterprise, possesses the human capital and drive typical of the Igbo nation. Both regions can thrive as self-sustaining federating units.
The creation of Anioma and Etiti States would be more than administrative reform — it would be an act of justice, inclusion, and reconciliation. It would show that Nigeria is ready to treat every region equally and to heal old wounds not with words, but with action.
The time for equity is now. Let Anioma and Etiti be born together — as symbols of fairness, unity, and the new Nigeria we must build.
Ubi jus ibi remedium — where there is a right, there must be a remedy.
