Ethiope State will amend for historical imbalances – Senator Dafinone

The lawmaker representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Senator Ede Dafinone, has stated that the creation of Ethiope State gives an opportunity to address decades of historical wrongs, empower the Urhobo Nation, open a new chapter for economic and social growth, and protect cultural identity.

Speaking at the House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Review’s public hearing held at the Chief D.S. Alamieyeseigha Banquet Hall, Government House, Yenagoa, Senator Dafinone, Vice Chairman of the Senate Committees on Local Content and Legislative Compliance, noted that the proposed state would correct longstanding inequalities faced by the Urhobo people—Nigeria’s fifth-largest ethnic group and the dominant community in Delta State.

The Delta Central legislator stated that the Urhobo have long experienced structural exclusion within the current state configuration of the nation, despite their demographic importance and economic contributions. He stressed that the creation of Ethiope State would “redress this imbalance, ensure fairer resource distribution, and boost infrastructural development.”

According to the Urhobo people’s submission, the proposed Ethiope State would include the two Urhobo kingdoms in Warri South Local Government Area, the Urhobo communities in Patani Local Government Area, and all eight Local Government Areas that are predominantly Urhobo.

This consolidation, Dafinone argued, would reflect the “demographic and administrative foundation for statehood” that the current structure fails to recognise.