The Chairman of the Supreme Council of Government Recognized Ikwerre Traditional Rulers, HM Eze AMB. Sir Leslie Nyebuchi Eke, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make history by granting statehood to the Anioma people after more than seven decades of unfulfilled aspiration.
In a strongly worded appeal addressed to the President, Eze Eke described the creation of Anioma State as “a moral imperative” and “a promise long made that must be fulfilled.” He said the demand, which dates back to 1951 when leaders like Chief Denis Osadebe and Senator Nosike Ikpo championed the cause, had remained consistent and peaceful over the years.
The Ikwerre monarch noted that Anioma’s cultural and historical identity, shaped by the Ekumeku resistance of 1883–1914, has contributed greatly to Nigeria’s unity and stability, yet the region remains “underrepresented and underserved” despite meeting every constitutional requirement for state creation.
“Anioma State is not merely a boundary, it is a symbol of hope restored, fairness upheld, and unity strengthened,” Eze Eke wrote. “Failure to wipe the tears of the oppressed means we are all inadvertently in chains.”
Quoting a moral charge, he stated, “Nature demands from us all to wipe the tears of the oppressed and enthrone justice at our brother’s doorstep. Failure to do so means we are all inadvertently in chains.”
Eze Eke, speaking on behalf of the Christian Traditional Rulers Council of Nigeria and the Supreme Council of Ikwerre Government Recognized Traditional Rulers, urged the President to expedite the constitutional process for Anioma State creation, expressing confidence in Tinubu’s courage to make history.
