Delta State Tried To Erase Us – Ned Nwoko Opens Up On Ethnic Cleansing, Identity Suppression

Senator Ned Nwoko Urges Anioma People to Fully Embrace Igbo Identity, Calls for Unity and Creation of Anioma State....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Reparation and Repatriation, Senator Ned Nwoko (APC, Delta North), has urged the Anioma people of Delta State to openly embrace their Igbo identity and strengthen ties with their eastern brothers in the quest for a united Nigeria.

Nwoko made the call in Asaba while speaking at a conference organised by the Igbo Unification Movement in partnership with the Ndi na Asu Bia Socio-Cultural Organisation, themed “Igbo Bu Ofu” (Igbos Are One).

Commending the organisers, the lawmaker said their efforts resonate with his long-standing advocacy for Anioma identity and his push for the creation of Anioma State from Delta North.

The Igbo Unification Movement and Ndi na Asu Bia have continued to champion the cultural and political unity of Igbo-speaking groups across Nigeria, including Anioma in Delta, Igbanke in Edo, and other border communities. They maintain that reclaiming a shared Igbo heritage is vital for political influence, cultural revival, and correcting years of distortion.

“There is no argument about our Igbo-ness. I know our history, I know the migration of our people, and I know clearly that we, the Anioma, are Igbo,” Nwoko declared. “The time has come to rewrite the false narratives that once separated us from our brothers across the Niger.”

The senator emphasised that his call for Anioma State is not politically motivated but rooted in identity, justice, and fairness.

“This is not about APC, PDP, or Labour Party. It is about correcting historical wrongs. I am not aspiring to be governor, but I want Anioma to stand tall with its own state, with Asaba as its capital. This also fulfils the long-standing dream of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which has always recognised Anioma as part of the Igbo family,” he said.

Recalling his childhood during the Nigerian Civil War, Nwoko revealed that Anioma communities endured ethnic cleansing and were compelled to deny their Igbo heritage to survive. He stressed that the identity crisis born out of that period must give way to truth, reconciliation, and cultural pride.

He also lauded scholars and activists, such as Professor Abigail Ogwezzy of the University of Lagos, whose work on Anioma linguistics and history has further confirmed the people’s Igbo roots.

“The Igbo man is Igbo everywhere—whether from Delta, Imo, or Abia. Just as a Chinese man remains Chinese anywhere in the world, Anioma must rise and embrace its true identity. That is the only path to unity and political relevance,” he added.

Nwoko urged cultural organisations, including the Igbo Unification Movement and Ndi na Asu Bia, to sustain their advocacy, insisting that only through collective effort can the dreams of Igbo unity and the creation of Anioma State become a reality.

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