Imo’s 22 oil-producing communities reject inclusion in proposed Anim State

By Emmanuel Iheaka, Owerri

The people of Ohaji, the major oil-producing region in Imo State, comprising 22 autonomous communities, have firmly rejected their inclusion in the proposed Anim State or any other new state.

Speaking at a press conference in Owerri on Thursday, Chairman of the Ogbako Ohaji State Creation Committee, Chief Johnbosco Ben, accompanied by the National President of Ogbako Ohaji People’s Forum, Sir Fidelis Enyia, and leaders of women and youth groups, expressed the community’s unanimous decision to remain part of Imo State.

Chief Ben clarified that while the people of Ohaji support the creation of an additional state in the South East, they were not consulted before their area was included in the proposal for Anim State.

He accused Senator Osita Izunaso, representing Imo West, of blocking efforts by the community to voice their stance during a public hearing on state creation organized by the National Assembly.

“We were not consulted before being added to the proposed Anim State. Our attempts to make our position known at the public hearing were rebuffed by Senator Izunaso, who claimed he knew what was best for us,” Ben alleged.

He pointed out that Ohaji shares immediate boundaries with Owerri, the Imo State capital, while it takes nearly two hours to reach Orlu, the proposed capital of the new state, making their inclusion in Anim State geographically and culturally inappropriate.

“Ogbako Ohaji People’s Forum is the apex socio-cultural body of the Ohaji nation, representing over 500,000 people across seven INEC electoral wards. We are a major contributor to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, with Assa holding the largest gas deposit in the Southern Sahara,” Ben stated.

Despite their significant contributions, he lamented that Ohaji continues to suffer from severe infrastructural neglect, lacking electricity, quality healthcare, motorable roads, and employment opportunities.

He stressed that the unilateral inclusion of Ohaji in the proposed Anim State was presumptuous and unacceptable.

In a letter dated May 7, 2025, addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the people of Ohaji rejected the inclusion, citing their historical and cultural ties to Imo State. They also referenced the 1975 Justice Irikefe Commission and a 2009 memorandum advocating for Njaba State, which supported their continued association with Imo.

“Our stance is clear and unshaken — Ohaji remains an integral part of Imo State,” the forum concluded.

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