Reps Committee proposes creation of 31 new states
The House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution revealed on Thursday that it has received 31 proposals for the creation of new states across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
During plenary, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu presented a letter from the committee outlining the requirements for state creation. The letter specified that proposals had been received from various regions, including five from the North Central, four from the North East, five from the North West, five from the South East, four from the South South, and seven from the South West.
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Some of the proposed states include Okun, Okura, and Confluence in Kogi; Benue Ala and Apa in Benue; the creation of the FCT State; Amana in Adamawa; Katagum in Bauchi; Savannah in Borno; and Muri in Taraba. Other states under consideration are New Kaduna and Gujarat in Kaduna State; Tiga and Ari from Kano; Kainji from Kebbi; Etiti and Orashi in the South East; Adada in Enugu; and Orlu and Aba in the South East. Additionally, there are proposals for Ogoja in Cross River, Warri in Delta, Ori and Obolo in Rivers, and several from states like Ondo, Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, and Osun.
The letter emphasized that Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution sets the criteria for initiating the state creation process. According to the letter, the National Assembly will only pass a request for a new state if it is supported by at least a third of the members of the Senate, House of Representatives, State Houses of Assembly, and Local Government Council in the proposed area.
The letter further outlined that for the proposal to move forward, it must follow the provisions set in Section 8.3 of the Constitution, which mandates that the results of state referendums be forwarded to the National Assembly.
The committee also emphasized that proposals must be submitted in strict compliance with the constitutional requirements, and all submissions should include hard copies and electronic versions sent to the committee’s office.
The committee remains focused on supporting efforts that align with constitutional guidelines and will only consider proposals that adhere to the established procedures.
