Opinion: Equity In Abia Will Foster Peace & Unity

A Little Background:

It is said that those who do not or care to know where they are coming from, getting a proper direction as to where they are going, becomes a much more difficult task.

Also it is said that if you fail to ask what killed your father, there's the greater likelihood or probability that you may fall victim to the same causes.

The fight & or agitation for the creation of ABIA, was a long drawn & difficult one. It had respected leaders from the four major blocks of Afikpo Province, Old Bende Division, lsuikwuato District & Aba Province, fighting & staking everything they had to ensure that the state was created.

For more clarity, the said fight for state creation took place when all these major blocks, mentioned above, were all still part of the old Imo state. The acronym A.B.I.A, was later coined, using the names of the major players in the agitation, in recognition of their individual contributions & efforts in the struggle.

AFIKPO Division or Province, now in Ebonyi state, stretched from the present day Afikpo town to Edda, Akeze, Uburu, Okposi etc.

OLD BENDE is the area from Arochukwu to Umuahia, including, but not limited to; Ohafia, Abiriba, Igbere, Item, Bende ifself, Uzuakoli, the entire Umuahia (north/south), lkwuano etc.

ISUIKWUATO District comprises of Isukwuato & Umunneochi LGAs, stretching from lsuikwuato to Uturu, lsuochi, Lokpa 1&2, Leru etc.

ABA Province covers the Ukwa Ngwa, the entire Ngwa, Osisioma, Ugwunabo, Aba town, Azumiri, Ukwa 1&2, Ohambele etc.

None of the blocks became part of the acronym, A.B.I.A by accident, as mentioned earlier, but strictly due to the parts played & the various contributions of their respective leaders to the fight or agitation for the state to be created. The said leaders had mutual respect for each other & worked closely together, far better than we have in any group or organisation in Abia today. That largely accounted for their success.

That co-operation, unity, understanding, mutual respect & lofty dreams our past leaders, some of them still around today, had for the new state, ABIA, which they succeeded in having created, led them to come up with an MOU called, the ABIA CHARTER OF EQUITY to guide future generations on issues related to smooth, hitch free transition of power & proper recognition of each block that took part for purposes of fairness, equity & justice etc.

The said dream was lived out to the letter when Dr Ogbonnaya Onu from Afikpo went as the first Governor of Abia state when he did.

Dr Orji Kalu from Old Bende followed in 1999. There wasn't any problems in supporting & getting him elected, especially given that Old Bende was/is the next letter "B" in the name Abia. But when Orji Kalu was leaving, after 8 years on the saddle, he distorted the arrangement & dream of our past leaders by going outside & against all letters of the Charter of Equity by giving power to Chief TA Orji, from Umuahia, the same or part of Old Bende. That was done in complete negation of the earlier order which required that power was shifted to the next letter "l" or Isuikwuato District who's turn it was to produce governor in 2007. The District in the face of that grave denial, remained calm, patient, law abiding & even served in various capacities & levels in the said administration of Gov TA Orji who left in 2015, after 8 years in office.

Gov TA Orji, preferred & handed over power, in a bit of controversy, to Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, the present Governor from Aba Province who is now in his second term in office & will leave in 2023.

Isuikwuato District & the letter "l" is the only block left to complete the circle in the transition of power in Abia. Given that the District remained loyal, gave their support, worked with or served in all the past & present administrations mentioned above, it only makes every sense, fair, just & to sustain peace in Abia, that they be supported to produce the next governor in 2023.

But the unwelcome narratives by various agitators, aspirants & discussants on power shift in Abia which tends to ignore the fact that lsuikwuato District is one of the major blocks that make up the state, leave much to be desired. Politics of exclusion, neglect, denial, deprivation or marginalisation, is not known to have worked in many cases & may not this time. It is wrong, unfair, unjust & must be seen as such by all men & women of goodwill & all those concerned or involved.

That from whatever angle or perspective anyone or group decides to look at or talk about the rotation of power in Abia & fail to recognise the fact that lsuikwuato District, as a people, was/is there, like the other major blocks in the state, but the only one left to produce a governor & has to do so this time, is at their peril.

It has also become very important, necessary & in the interest of those who obviously know the facts, but are pretending not to, to once again explain, define, re-emphasise & make it clear that, Isuikwuato District, comprising Isuikwuato.& Umunneochi LGAs is not, had never been will never be & should not be described as part of Old Bende, not under any circumstance for that matter. Old Bende people are our close & good neighbours whom we were there for, at the time they needed us, but for the purposes of political recognition or grouping, we are distinct, having joined Abia from Old Okigwe Division.

That lsuikwuato District, to restate once again, joined the agitation for the creation of Abia state, from the old Okigwe Divesion where it had been part there of & cannot be wished away, ignored or not given the recognition it deserves. The District accepted, in good faith, the pleas or invitation of the other 3 blocks to join them in the said agitation, to both make up the population & land mass requirements for the state to be created & also for the better interest of their own people. That these facts are matters of available records & clearly contained in the said Charter of Equity, which most people tend to dangerously ignore due to their quests for political power.

That this attempts by those who aspire to retain or grab power, to now refer to lsuikwuato District as part of Old Bende or try to discountenance the power shift formular, which had all the other 3 blocks in Abia produce Governors & only lsuikwuato District left, is not in the best interest of the state. To allow the District govern the state for 8 years, as others did, will not be too much a sacrifice for the existing peace, cordiality, fairness & justice to continue in Abia.

For example, if Gen Babangida had allowed Abiola take power when he won the election, he would have completed his tenures by the year 2000 & spared Nigeria the crises she's still batting till this day.

I have not implied here that individuals or groups have no constitutional rights to via or aspire to power, as some cynics may want to misinterprete, but l am advocating a systemic ceding or transfer of power, by the powers that are presently. That in no way forecloses or precludes those individuals who may wish to try.

Finally, Abia state is not made up of only Old Bende & Aba Province, since Afikpo left to be part of Ebonyi state, there's lsuikwuato District which deserves, as a matter of right, fairness & justice, to produce the next Governor of Abia state

Sir Dave Agwalla,
Okwadike Abia.