The youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, a prominent Igbo sociopolitical organization, has urged the National Assembly to consider creating Anioma State to promote equity and justice.
In a communique, the group also demanded the release of Indigenous People of Biafra leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and called for an end to criminality in the Southeast, according to The Authority.
The communique, signed by Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu and Chika Adiele, emphasized the need for an additional state in the Southeast to address regional disparities.
The group established a committee to coordinate the burial of late Ohanaeze Ndigbo President Engr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and pledged to lobby for Anioma State’s creation.
The Ohanaeze youths also sought justice for detained Igbo youths, collaboration with authorities for regional security, and compensation for victims of property destruction. They commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for its achievements, including the creation of the South East Development Commission.
The group’s demands reflect the ongoing agitation for regional equity and self-determination in Nigeria’s Southeast.
Reading the communique at the end of the meeting, Okpalaezeukwu said, “The ongoing agitation for an additional State in the Southeast is not only commendable, but also timely and unavoidable, if Nigeria must be seen as a nation that believes in equity. We commend the various interest groups and legislators who have made varying recommendations on geographical delineation, name and composition of the proposed Sixth State in the Southeast. However, after extensive consultations, deliberations and investigations, we wish to urge every stakeholder who believes in the progress and development of Igbo land, to align themselves with the Anioma State project, as it remains the most viable, most equitable and most unifying option at this time.
“In that regard, we have set up a powerful lobby group to join forces with other like minds, to facilitate the actualization of this additional State in the Southeast, Anioma, by reaching out to other stakeholders across Nigeria. As the apex youth leadership organization in the entire Igbo land, we shall spare no cost in ensuring the success of this idea, whose time is now.
“We have also initiated moves to collaborate with relevant authorities towards securing lasting peace, security and economic stability in the Southeast. We wish to use this medium to reiterate our appeal for speedy review and dispensation of justice to thousands of Igbo youths who are held in various detention facilities across the country as Awaiting Trial Inmates. We are collaborating with relevant authorities to secure the freedom of as many of these youths that are innocent, while we also urge His Excellency President Bola Tinubu, in tandem with his resolve to completely heal Nigeria of the wounds of the Civil War, to deploy his constitutional powers towards facilitating the release of our brother, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. We also wish to reiterate our appeal to Igbo youths to maintain the peace and resist attempts by subversive elements to indoctrinate them into violent and destructive actions against the Motherland”.
