The lawmaker representing Delta North Senatorial District, Ned Nwoko, has said peace will return to the South-East if the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is released.
Naijaonpoint reports that Nwoko, in an interview with Channels Television on Sunday, argued that Kanu’s continued incarceration was unjust and had worsened insecurity in the region.
The senator said, “Nnamdi Kanu has been in custody for some time now. I believe that he has been held unjustly. If you want to get him tried and convicted, get on with it. But this is a guy who has been held unjustly.
“By the time you do these two things (releasing Kanu and creating an additional state), I am almost certain that peace will return to the South-East.”
The senator noted that the South-East remains the only geo-political zone in Nigeria with five states, compared to six or seven in other regions.
“The South-East is the only zone in Nigeria that has five states. Was it done intentionally to undermine them? Of course, yes,” he said.
Nwoko explained that the sense of exclusion had fuelled frustration among young people in the region.
He further stated, “From engaging the youths, it became obvious that if a step is taken in creating one state to bring it on par with other zones, then something meaningful would have been done for them.”
Nwoko disclosed that he had earlier met with President Bola Tinubu to discuss insecurity in the South-East and the need for equity.
He said, “Almost just over a year ago, I had a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, where I discussed the problems of the South-East, the insecurity, and what could be done to address it. He knows the problems and also has an idea. The whole idea is that there should be some level of equity extended to the Igbos of the South-East by having an additional state.”
Constitution Review Committee Approves New State
The senator welcomed the recent resolution by the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review, which approved the creation of an additional state in the South-East.
“It wasn’t going to be an easy task to create a new state, but it is doable, and I’m happy that we have come this far,” Nwoko said.
He explained that while insecurity in the North-East and North-West was largely driven by terrorism and banditry, the South-East crisis was rooted in “perceived injustice by successive governments.”
According to him, many young people in the South-East were ready to embrace peace if given respect and inclusion in governance.
“I have spoken to so many youths from the South-East, and they have assured me that they are prepared to be engaged by the leadership. They don’t want to die. They want to go back to school, to their jobs. All they want is some level of respect and acknowledgement by the government of Nigeria,” he said.
When asked about controversies surrounding his marriage to actress Regina Daniels, the senator said, “Everything is in control.”
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