Remarks On The Occasion Of The Public Presentation/Launch Of The Proposed Orimili State, Awka 26 August 2011

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Remarks On The Occasion Of The Public Presentation/Launch Of The Proposed Orimili State, Awka 26 August 2011
Protocols,
I speak as Chairman of the Anambra State Committee on State Creation, which was mandated on 17 July 2010 by Ohanaeze Anambra to champion the case for the creation of a new state based on the split of the existing Anambra State into approximately two equal and parts.
Notwithstanding the contrary arguments of development and planning economics, States and Local Government Areas have become the basis for the allocation and distribution of common resources in the country, which currently puts the South-East geopolitical zone at a disadvantage compared with others with more. It is therefore necessary that Anambra State, and the South-East zone, secure an equitable basis for resource allocation and then integrate voluntarily within the zone for development purposes.
If any state(s) will be created specifically in the South-East to address the issues of equity and balance, or generally in Nigeria to meet the yearning demand for more states, Anambra State must have a very strong claim compared to most of the other Requests with the National Assembly. Our case is well argued and presented in our detailed Request and the summary 4-page flyer, which are readily available and will soon be posted on our website under development.
The Request was prepared by a Technical Team comprising the following distinguished personalities: Okpala Eze Nri Emeka Onyesoh, Ichie Okwuchukwu Ezeaku, HRH Dr. Obi Ogene, Prof. Ben Obumselu, Chief Barrister Nath Izuako, Prince Engr. Raph Ndigwe, Chief Anene Nwosu, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, Chief Leo Mezue, and Mr. Luke Onykonwu.
The key distinguishing feature of our Request is that it is presented as an initiative of the entire people of existing Anambra State. Thus, the main Committee, which I chair, and the Technical Committee comprise members from the two emerging parts. Our state legislators, local government chairmen, traditional rulers and town union president-generals representing all communities in the state appended their signature to the Request. Our initiative is thus inclusive, not separatist, and the beneficial reasons are obvious.
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We have completed the first phase of our work by formally presenting the Request to the last National Assembly to be in line with others seeking for new states. That was the easy and straightforward part.
The second and more challenging phase starts today with the formal presentation of the Request for the creation of Orimili State out of the existing Anambra State in your presence, the cream of Anambra State indigenes assembled here today. Today we are launching the Request into the public domain.
The task ahead in this second phase comprises:
• Mobilization and Sensitization to gain the widest support of Ndi Anambra both at home and in Diaspora for the initiative; This includes the setting up offices in Awka and Otuocha, the proposed capital of the new state, as well as launching the initiative in all our 21 Local Government Areas, and major towns and cities of domicile of our people.
• Contact, Positioning and Reaching Out to legislators, politicians and leaders of thought in all other states in the federation so as to gain their support for our Request;
• Publicity and Propaganda to etch our state demand on the minds of the ordinary Nigerian through newspapers, radio, television, posters and bill-boards, and the Internet, including our website currently under development;
• Reaching Accommodation and Mutual Understanding by negotiating with each state in the South-East if necessary, or in a forum of all the states of the South-East; Our case is sufficiently robust under either scenario as well as for standing alone on the cause.
• Fund Raising to support the entire project going forward; so far, we have worked on a very lean budget provided by the governor, Ndi Anambra in Lagos and Abuja, and two committed indigenes who wish to be unnamed.
• Generally pursuing all legitimate steps to achieve our objective for the new state.
Our PRAYERS to all assembled here today are threefold, namely:
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a. That we resoundingly support this initiative for the creation of Orimili State out the existing Anambra State, as an initiative of the entire Ndi Anambra;
b. That we contribute generously towards the execution of the initiative which, though very sound, will expectedly face tough challenges; and
c. That we deploy all our individual and collective access to and contacts with the people that matter in the country to gain their support and sympathy for our Request. In effect, every Anambra indigene is expected to be part of this initiative.
I will now introduce the President of Ohanaeze Anambra, Dr. Atanmo, and the members of my committee in the persons of:
• Chief Dr. Dozie Ikedife, Ikenga Nnewi
• Justice Chief Godwin Ononiba, Onowu Nimo
• Ichie Okwuchukwu Ezeaku, Isimili Ukpo
• Barrister Leo Uche Okonkwo-Okom
• Okpala Eze Nri Emeka Onyesoh, Secretary, and
• My humble self, Chairman.
Finally, I now have the honour and duty to invite our Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, to formally present and launch the Request for the Creation of Orimili State out of the existing Anambra State as the collective will and enterprise of Ndi Anambra.
Nnaemeka Achebe
Obi of Onitsha
26 August 2011