Anim Analysis

Popularity and influence aside can the Igbos replace their identity with Ukwuani?

This question or statement will sound disrespectful to many Igbo people, that is how it also sounds disrespectful to true Ukwuani person when you call them Igbo subgroup or Delta Igbo.

Ukwuani people wishes for the Anioma state that will respect their distinctive identity and not the one that will erase it into Igbo.

THAT IS NOT STATE CREATION BUT IDENTITY CAPTURE—MONYE,2026.

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The Senate Bill 481; ANIOMA STATE Proposal.
An opinion piece. Part One Of Four By Oriekaose Monye

The Bill That Would Forever Alter the Identity of a People: What Nwoko's Anioma Proposal Actually Says

There is a bill before the Nigerian Senate; Bill 481, sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko, the senator representing Delta North, it is two propositions layered into one, and most of the people cheering for it have only been told about the first.

The surface proposition is this: that the nine local government areas currently constituting Delta North Senatorial District; Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Ika North East, Ika South, Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, Oshimili North, Oshimili South, and Ukwuani, should be carved out of Delta State to form a new state, with Asaba as its capital.

Many people in Delta North support that idea of having a state. The desire for a state of one's own, the sense that proximity to power improves the quality of governance and the distribution of resources, is legitimate, and it is not new.

But, there is a second proposition, and this is the one that changes everything: Senator Nwoko has been explicit, in his own words and on multiple occasions, that the state he envisions is an Igbo state, to be recognised as the sixth member of the South East geopolitical zone. He has spoken about wanting Ohaneze Ndigbo to operate freely within the new state’s territory.
He has called for Igbo language to be taught in its schools.
He has framed the entire project as a correction of what he calls the "structural imbalance" of the South East.

This is not an incidental detail. It is the heart of the bill. And anyone who tells you it is simply about creating a new state, without mentioning the geopolitical reclassification it carries, is telling you a partial truth.

What the constitutional process actually requires:
State creation in Nigeria is not an easy process. Section 8(1) of the 1999 Constitution sets out a sequence of requirements, each of which must be satisfied.

First, a formal request must be backed by at least two thirds of all elected representatives from the proposed area, meaning senators, House of Representatives members, and state assembly members.

Second, a referendum must be conducted in which at least two thirds of residents in the proposed territory vote in favour.

Third, a simple majority of state Houses of Assembly across the country; at least 19 of 36, must endorse the proposal.

Fourth, two thirds of both chambers of the National Assembly must approve it.

And fifth, the President must assent.

All five must be cleared. Falling short at any stage ends the process.

Where the bill actually stands:
In July 2024, the bill passed its first reading in the Senate. This is a purely administrative step. The title is read out, the bill is assigned a number, and printed copies are circulated. Every bill introduced passes first reading. It carries no evaluative weight whatsoever. The bill now simply exists on paper.

The bill then passed its second reading, the first occasion of substantive debate, though only on its broad principles, not its specific provisions. Enough senators found the idea worth examining further. Nothing more was decided.

In August 2024, Senator Nwoko convened a stakeholders summit in Asaba. It was well attended and widely photographed. A communiqué was produced, declaring support "irrevocable," and it was presented to the media as a people's mandate.
However, constitutionally and legally, it carries no weight at all.

Nwoko has also claimed that between 85 and 97 senators support the state creation.
This is a lobbying exercise, he probably approached the senators, soliciting their support, and some gave it.
It creates no legal obligation, binds no one to a future vote, and counts for nothing in the constitutional process.

In July 2025, the Senate Constitution Review Committee conducted a South South zonal public hearing at Ikot Ekpene, covering all constitutional amendment proposals being considered across the six geopolitical zones.
Anioma was one of many items on the agenda. It dominated proceedings because Nwoko's team had mobilised heavily: over half the attendees were supporters who had travelled specifically for the occasion.
When the committee chairman asked for objections, the room answered "No”.

The hearing was afterwards described by Nwoko's camp as having "raised no objection."

This is directly contradicted by the evidence.
For instance, The Ndokwa Neku Union, the apex body of the Ukwuani and Ndosumili peoples, whose communities account for three of the nine proposed local government areas, alleged that their designated delegate was present but was deliberately prevented from speaking. They subsequently described the hearing as "a sham."

Also, a representative from Isoko communities also stated on video, at the hearing itself, that his people wished to remain in Delta State.

Then, within hours of the hearing concluding, the Forum of Delta North Local Government Chairmen issued a statement disassociating themselves from documents that had been circulated in their name.

In October 2025, the National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitution Review approved in principle the creation of one new state per geopolitical zone, following a retreat in Lagos.
A sub committee was appointed to determine which specific states would be recommended. That sub-committee has not yet reported.

What remains undone:
Almost everything that matters remains undone.
The formal two thirds request by elected representatives has not been made.
The sub committee's work is pending.
No referendum has been held.
No state Houses of Assembly have voted.
The Delta State House of Assembly has not given its constitutionally required approval.
The full National Assembly has not passed the bill at third reading.
The President has not assented to anything.

This process is, at best, in its early to middle stages.

The question that has not been honestly answered:
Set aside the procedural calendar for a moment and consider the identity question at the core of this bill.

I am an IKA man. I am not Igbo. The IKA people are not a subset of the Igbo.
The cultures, languages, and histories of Delta North's peoples are their own, they are not branches or a sub group of a larger tree or group that happens to extend from the South East.

Senator Nwoko's vision is of a state where the founding identity of the state is Igbo and Igbo language is taught in its schools.

If that vision is realised, what becomes of the IKA language? What becomes of the Ukwuani language?
What becomes of the distinct identities that communities across Delta North have preserved and defended across generations?

These are central questions to the diverse ethnic nations in Delta North.

A new state created, drawing on the full complexity of who the people of Delta North actually are, is a legitimate aspiration with a long history.

What is being proposed here is something different, it is the legislative assignment of a people to an identity they have not collectively chosen, under the cover of an administrative reorganisation.

That is not state creation. It is identity capture.

This is Part One of a four part series on the proposed Anioma State.

By: Oriekaose Monye

Sen. Ned and co activate your federal might now.
Let Pres put call or EFCC because this is not looking good.

I have observed closely the videos of the two consultation visit of Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa in Ndokwa West and Ndokwa East and non of them did he mention about light in Ndokwa nation/IPP step down in Okpai or any developmental promise in his speech.
Rather his speech has centered more on Sen. Ned Nwoko performance particularly the Anioma state creation zoning to south east. No denial of the N1.3trn fraud allegations or clear manifesto to better Delta North.
Thank God Ukwuani tribe is getting wiser.

An interesting day in Ndokwa political landscape.

Concurrently today, there was an ongoing protest in Asaba tagged “No light, No campaign.” At the same time, the consultation visit of Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa was going on at Benvo Event Centre, Kwale. Another group of protesters stormed the venue with the same tag, “No light, No campaign.” To cap it up, Utagba-Ogbe Council of Chiefs and Presidents-General of the respective communities’ CDC had a consensus with one clear message: “No light, No campaign in Ndokwa nation.”

We all know this request is long overdue, and we appreciate each and every one fighting to ensure this light comes to pass in Ndokwa nation. Over 20 years in darkness is complete neglect to the Ndokwa people.

Thank you once again to all groups and individuals piloting this cry for and .

PRESS STATEMENT BY THE UTAGBA-OGE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS AND ELDERS, KWALE

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We, the Utagba-Ogbe Council of Chiefs and Elders, in conjunction with the Utagba-Ogbe President General, hereby issue this firm and uncompromising directive to all political actors, government representatives, and stakeholders:
There shall be NO political campaigns of any kind in Kwale, Utagba-Ogbe Kingdom, until justice is served to Ndokwa Nation.

For far too long, Ndokwa Nation has suffered neglect, exploitation, and systematic marginalization. Despite hosting a major Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Kwale, our people have remained in total darkness for over 16 years. It is both unjust and unacceptable that electricity generated from our land is stepped down and transmitted to Obosi and distributed across multiple states and even the Federal Capital Territory, while the host community is abandoned in darkness.

This is not only an injustice,it is an insult.
Ndokwa Nation has also sustained Nigeria’s economy for over 60 years through the presence of more than eight oil and gas companies operating on our soil. Yet, there is little to show in terms of basic infrastructure, social amenities, or meaningful development. Our roads are deplorable, our communities underdeveloped, and our people continually ignored.
Enough is enough.

We state clearly:
No campaign activities will be tolerated in Kwale until concrete steps are taken to ensure the stepping down of power within Ndokwa Nation.
The government must take immediate responsibility and fully finance the process required to make electricity available to the host community.

Ndokwa people will no longer accept promises, political rhetoric, or symbolic gestures,we demand visible, measurable action.

This is not business as usual. The patience of our people has been stretched beyond limits. We will no longer fold our arms while our resources are exploited and our future neglected.
Let it be known that we are united, resolute, and prepared to defend our collective interest within the bounds of the law.

History is recording, and posterity will judge all actions taken,or not taken,at this critical moment.
God Almighty is watching, and the people are taking notes.

Signed:
Utagba-Ogbe Council of Chiefs and Elders
Utagba-Ogbe President General

Finally Sacked. Nigeria 🇳🇬 coach Eric Chelle can do a better job than this PE teacher.
Chelsea has suffered in his hands. Goodluck in your next chapter.

This forest fruit is called Akukuria in Ukwuani language.
In Ndokwa/Ukwuani rain forest and mangrove we have lots of edible fruits that we feed on when farming or hurting.

Okowa seems to be widely accepted by Ndokwa/Ukwuani people of Delta North.
Can this be as a result of Ned “insulting”Ukwuani people as Igbo speakers?