By Dr. Chris Okobah
The demand for Anioma State is not just a political aspiration, it is a moral obligation, a cry from the depths of history’s unhealed wounds.
It is a call grounded in justice, truth, equity, and the urgent need to correct a long-standing injustice against a people whose only “crime” has been that they are Igbo.
In October 1967, Asaba became a graveyard. In May 1968, Isheagwu followed.
Thousands of Anioma men and boys were rounded up, executed in cold blood. Women were raped, homes were razed, dignity was stolen.
The sole reason? They were Igbo. No trials. No charges. No justice. Till this day, there has been no compensation, no reparation, not even a formal apology.
These were not acts of war, they were acts of genocide. Yet, Nigeria has turned away, asking us to forget what it refuses to acknowledge.
Let us be clear: Anioma is Igbo in blood, in language, in culture, in soul.
We are not an appendix to another identity. We belong, historically and culturally, to the South East.
The argument that Anioma must remain in the South South due to “geopolitical zoning” is hollow.
Zoning is nothing but a political label an artificial construct. It neither builds roads nor educates children. It does not heal wounds or develop economies.
States thrive not because of what region they are classified under, but because of the vision, unity, and resourcefulness of their people.
Anioma has what it takes and more to not just survive but to thrive as a state.
We are rich in human capital. We have vast arable land, natural resources, oil, gas, untapped mineral wealth.
We have industrious people, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and visionaries.
Anioma State will not beg for bailouts. We will not ask for handouts.
We have all it takes to build a prosperous state driven by innovation, development, and equity. We have the hands to work, the minds to build, and the heart to lead.
Currently, the South East is the only geopolitical zone with just five states.
This deliberate underrepresentation means less access to federal appointments, fewer senatorial and House of Representatives seats, and smaller federal allocations. Creating Anioma State within the South East is not favoritism, it is justice.
To those clinging to the narrative that Anioma belongs to the South South, ask yourselves: is it conviction or convenience? Is it truth or fear?
Stop pulling wool over the eyes of the naive. Stop weaponising confusion.
Anioma is not lost we know who we are. We are Igbo, and we have never forgotten.
In the haunting words of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel: “To forget a holocaust is to kill twice.”
Nigeria may have buried the bones of Asaba and Isheagwu, but we refuse to let their memory be buried with them.
To those still undecided, we say go stand at the banks of the Niger in Asaba. Listen closely. The river still whispers the names of the dead. Go to Isheagwu. The soil still cries blood. Their only crime was that they were Igbo.
We do not seek pity. We do not beg. We demand.Let Anioma State be. Let justice be done, though the heavens fall.
Let Anioma be South East because it always was. Let it be now—for history watches, and so do the dead.
Chris Okobah Ph.D
