Prior to Nigeria’s independence, the first formal request for the creation of what is now known as Anioma State was made in 1954, when an application was submitted to the Colonial Government in London for the establishment of a West Niger Province. This bold and visionary move was a reflection of the high political consciousness and historical awareness of the Anioma people, even at a time when many ethnic nationalities had yet to fully articulate their place in the emerging federation.
This early quest for self-determination stemmed from the fact that the Anioma people were historically composed of autonomous clans, long before the incursion of colonialism. They existed independently of their surrounding neighbours. The Igbo- speaking peoples to the east of the Niger, and the Urhobos, Itsekiris, Isokos, and Ijaws to the west and south. The colonial government’s decision to split this naturally cohesive region, placing the Aboh Division in the Warri Province and the Asaba Division in the Benin Province was done primarily for administrative convenience. However, this arbitrary balkanization undermined the unity and identity of the Anioma people, who, despite being administratively scattered, never lost sight of their shared heritage and common destiny.
No response was made to the 1954 request, largely because the British authorities at the time were preoccupied with the broader agenda of granting self- government to Nigeria’s regions. Ironically, many of the same Anioma leaders advocating for the West Niger Province were simultaneously active participants in the movement for regional self-rule, up to and beyond independence in 1960, and even through the establishment of the Mid-West Region in 1963.
The first real opportunity for state creation came during the military era under General Yakubu Gowon, when demands for internal restructuring gained national traction. In 1975, amid growing agitations from minority ethnic groups across the country, the Federal Military Government established the Justice Ayo Irikefe Panel on State Creation and Boundary Adjustment. The Anioma case was among those presented. It is on record that the Irikefe Committee was deeply impressed by the merit and detail of the Anioma submission, describing it as “the most scientific proposal of all.” This remains one of the strongest endorsements ever given to any state creation request in Nigeria’s history.
From then on, the Anioma people have remained resolute and consistent in their advocacy. In 1980, 1983, 1989, 1995, and again in 1999, every time a new opportunity for constitutional restructuring or state creation presented itself, the Anioma demand was revived and robustly presented. These repeated efforts were not borne out of political desperation, but from the clear understanding that state creation brings tangible benefits, including administrative efficiency, greater representation for minorities, better allocation of resources, improved service delivery, and stronger national stability.
The persistence of the Anioma people over these decades is a testament to the legitimacy, historical consistency, and popular acceptance of their cause. The demand for Anioma State is not a reactionary position, but the product of sustained, well-documented, and constitutionally framed agitation, supported by facts, logic, and historical precedence. As we move forward in this national conversation, the Anioma people renew their call not just with hope, but with the conviction that justice delayed must not be denied.