‘We need our own state’ — Godwin Obla cries out over Idoma marginalization in Benue

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The time has come for the Idoma nation to have its own state, according to Godwin Obla, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who has denounced what he called the senseless, thoughtless, and evil marginalization of the Idoma people in Benue State.

According to ZINGTIE, Obla made the comments while speaking to reporters at the Idoma Hall of Fame Advisory Board Inaugural Dinner on Thursday in Abuja.

He bemoaned the Idoma people’s “unfortunate history” under the Nigerian federation.

Obla pointed out that since Benue State’s founding in 1976, the Idoma have been purposefully excluded from its politics and governance, despite being one of the few ethnic groups in Nigeria with a rich cultural and historical legacy.

“We are more than ripe to have a state, and I think the history of the Idoma people is an unfortunate one,” he said.

“We are one of the few ethnic groups with a rich history that has been needlessly, mindlessly, and wickedly marginalized.

It doesn’t make sense that in a state created in 1976, out of three senatorial districts, the Idoma who constitute a nation in one of them are denied a fair say in the governance of the state.”

Obla maintained that this omission demonstrates that the Idoma are not desired in Benue State, stressing that “we need a state of our own” if that is the case.

He went on to explain that the demand for an Idoma State is grounded in the values of justice, fairness, and inclusivity rather than sentiment.

“We are nationalists, and we have been patient long enough. It is deeply unfair that what is happening in Benue State today mirrors exactly what the Tiv leadership once opposed in their quest for self-determination,” Obla added.

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