By CHARLES IWUOHA

The former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, has asked the House of Representatives Committee Public Hearing on the Review of the 1999 Constitution to resolve the marginalization of the south east with creation of Adada State.

The agitation for creation of an additional state in the South East took the centrestage in Enugu on Saturday, during the House of Representatives Committee Public Hearing, with the proposed Adada being the only agitating state that made presentation.

It will be recalled that during a similar Senate public hearing, recently, Adada and two other states had made presentations, with Adada having overwhelming support.

Nwodo submitted that the proposed Adada State has all it takes, including natural and human resources, to be made a state, disclosing that the people of Enugu North Senatorial district who constitute 52 per cent of the population of the present Enugu State.

He said that with the addition of Isi-Uzo Local Government Area the state will be made up of seven local government areas, making it 56 per cent of the population of Enugu State, that are seeking for the Adada state creation.

Nwodo reflected that the area was marginalized when states were created during the military administration, reduced to only seven local government areas when it was supposed to have more local government councils.

He said: "We saw injustice during the creation of Enugu and Ebonyi states. We approached other constitution review committees that heard us but above all was the Justice Kutige-led constitutional conference that recommended Adada state creation from the south east.

"In the present circumstance, we have 100 percent uniformity of agreement, starting from the councillors, council chairmen, States and National Assembly members and Governors who have all signed for the demand.

"We have met the constitutional requirements and we have sources or revenue that we can contribute to the Federation account. We have oil in Uzo-Uwani local government area and abundant gas in Eha-Alumona, Nsukka local government. We have abundant animal husbandry and we have navigable sea to the conflux of Rivers Niger and Benue.

"Adada State will give us the opportunity to develop and so we beg this committee to help do justice to our matter."

On his part, Chairman of the Adada State Movement, Chief James Ugwu, stressed that there were minerals resources in the proposed state, adding that it will add to the gross domestic products of the federal government.

"We are just the only state that will be created and it will solve the problem of south east imbalance. We have manpower, we have everything that are required for the state creation," Ugwu said.

One of the stakeholders of the movement, Dr. Dave Nnamani disclosed that Adada is the oldest agitating states in Nigeria, recalling that the agitation started immediately after the Nigeria civil war.

He further said that Adada state creation will balance the disparity between the Igbo North and Igbo South, revealing that whereas the Igbo South already has three states to its credit, the Igbo North, which is the Wawa people, has only Enugu and Ebonyi states.