A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr Anthony Idigbe, has called for deep reflection, restraint and sensitivity in the ongoing calls for the creation of Anioma State.
He warned that the process, if poorly handled, could reopen old wounds and create new divisions among Igbo people.
Dr Idigbe was the guest speaker at the 2025 Annual Dinner and Award Night of the Otu Oka Iwu (Association of Igbo Lawyers) in Lagos.
The event, chaired by Abia State Deputy Governor Ikechukwu Emetu, had the Asagba of Asaba, Obi Professor Epiphany Azinge (SAN), and the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, in attendance.
Dr Idigbe urged leaders to rise above personal ambitions in addressing what he described as a highly sensitive national and ethnic question.
According to him, the proposal for Anioma State could be viewed in two major ways: as a quest for liberation by the Anioma people who feel culturally and politically constrained, and as a form of compensation to the Southeast through the creation of an additional state.
However, he cautioned that both perspectives raised complex identity and territorial questions that must be handled with care.
He said, “Anioma State can be looked at as a form of liberation for the people of Anioma, who are surrounded by other cultures and who feel that those circumstances have created survival challenges for them.
“From that point of view, the agitation is about self-determination.
“The other perspective is to look at it as compensation for the Southeast in terms of an additional state. But once you say that, questions begin to arise.”
Idigbe asked whether the creation of Anioma State would amount to an expansion of what is traditionally regarded as Igboland or an extension of the Southeast geopolitical zone into Anioma territory.
“Will it mean an expansion of the territory that you will regard as Igboland, or does it mean an extension of the Southeast to the Anioma area?” he asked.
“These are sensitive issues, and because they are sensitive, we have to be extremely careful.”
He warned against actions or rhetoric that could give the impression of domination or annexation.
The SAN said, “We must avoid the feeling that one particular Igbo has the right to control the other part of Igboland.
“Anioma people do not want to come out of one bondage and go into another to be perpetrated by their brother Igbos from across the River Niger. They will fight!”
According to him, failure to tread carefully could recreate historical mistakes rooted in power struggles and elite interests.
Idigbe stressed, “What should be the best approach? Should we give up what we already have because we are looking for something else?”
He urged stakeholders to reflect deeply on the consequences of their choices.
Drawing from history, Idigbe recalled the creation of the former Midwest Region, suggesting that misplaced priorities may have limited the region’s long-term development.
He said, “We still think that we made the same mistake when we got the Midwest Region.
“Maybe if we had focused on getting the capital and the premiership right, who knows how our area would have turned out?
“Who knows whether the metropolis between Awka and Agbor would have been more established today if we had placed the larger interest above personal interest?”
Idigbe cautioned that current agitations risk being hijacked by personal ambition.
He said, “I am aware that people are already positioning themselves to be governors, senators and so on.
“And because of that, they are ready to throw away what we already have.”
Reaffirming shared identity, Idigbe stressed that Anioma people are an integral part of the Igbo nation.
He declared, “Every Anioma person is as much Igbo as any other Igbo person. We are as much Igbo as every other Igbo person, unless someone is in denial.”
He emphasised culture as the strongest binding force, saying, “What keeps us together is simple. Our main culture remains Igbo.
“Over the centuries, the Igbos have been an expanding nation and many of them claim ancestry from Benin, Ishan, Yoruba, Igala, Hausa, Ibibio, Urhobo and Ijaw and viz versa.
“Despite that, Igbo main culture is based on the adoption of the language and the two pillars of respect for age and merit through its complex recognition and reward traditions. If you’ve adopted the culture, you are Igbo.”
Calling on leaders to act responsibly, Idigbe added, “We need to convey the right message to our people about the relationship between the Anioma people and the people of the southeast.”
