By Chukwudi Obasi, Cajetan Mmuta, David Lawani, Ben Adoga, and Anthony Otaru
Mixed reactions yesterday followed the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution’s proposed creation of an additional 31 states.
During the plenary, the Committee announced that it had received 31 proposals for creating new states across the six geo-political zones.
Benjamin Kalu, chairman of the Committee and Deputy Speaker, read a letter from the Committee outlining the conditions that must be met before any state creation requests can be approved.
According to the letter, the proposals include 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.
But while legal luminaries such as Prof Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), and some civil society groups see the move to create more states as myopic and unsustainable, the Human Rights Writers Association and other CSOs, lawyers welcomed the development.
According to the House of Representatives committee, among the states being considered are Okun, Okura, and Confluence (Kogi); Benue Ala and Apa (Benue); FCT State; Amana (Adamawa); Katagum (Bauchi); Savannah (Borno); and Muri (Taraba).
Others include New Kaduna and Gurara from Kaduna State; Tiga and Ari from Kano; Kainji from Kebbi State; Etiti and Orashi, the sixth state in the South East; Adada from Enugu; and Orlu and Aba from the South East.
Also listed are Ogoja from Cross River; Warri from Delta; Ori and Obolo from Rivers; Torumbe from Ondo; Ibadan from Oyo; Lagoon from Lagos; Ijebu from Ogun; and Oke Ogun/Ijesha from Oyo, Ogun, and Osun states.
In the letter, Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, outlined specific requirements that must be fulfilled before the process of state creation can begin.
The letter stated, “A request to the National Assembly to create a new state shall only be passed if it is supported by at least a two-thirds majority of members of the Senate, the House of Representatives, the House of Assembly of the affected state, and the Local Government Councils in the affected area.”
The Committee also addressed the issue of local government creation, stating, “Advocates for the creation of additional local government areas are reminded that Section 8 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, applies to this process.
“Specifically, by Section 8(3) of the Constitution, the outcome of the votes by the State Houses of Assembly in the referendum must be forwarded to the National Assembly for further consideration.”
The Committee instructed that all proposals must be resubmitted strictly to the stipulated guidelines.
“Submit three hard copies of the full proposal or memoranda to the Secretariat of the Committee at Room H331, House of Representatives, White House, National Assembly Complex, Abuja.”
“Additionally, soft copies must be sent electronically to the Committee’s email address at info.hccr.gov.ng,” he said.
*It’s myopic, not sustainable, unenviable, Ozekhome, Adegboruwa, CSOs condemn Reps c’ttee proposal
However, legal luminary Ozekhome said such a move was myopic and unenthusiastic.
In his reaction via SMS to ThisNigeria, Ozekhome said the move was not in the best interest of the nation because the majority of the states have not performed up to expectations.
Ozekhome said, “As far as I am concerned, they are jesters playing out ‘Baba Sallah’s Alawada Kerikeri’ histrionics and buffoonery. How can they discuss creating more than 31 states when over 2/3 of the present states are unviable life-support entities and merely depend on the federal center for monthly oxygenation under section 162 of the 1999 Constitution?
“How can we be talking about new states when hunger, starvation, squalor, and melancholy envelope inhabitants of the present minion states that beg for crumbs from the Abuja master’s table?
“Nigeria needs only two things now to correct the inherent injustices in the system and move towards growth and development one additional state in the South-East to equal others; and a brand new Constitution that is legitimate, people-driven, autochthonous, credible and referendum-compliant to help correct our deep fault- lines and lopsided federation that make some states mere consumers of the national cake without knowing how the cake is baked.
“The National Assembly should immediately drop this funny and phoney idea and stop insulting our collective intelligence by rubbing pepper on Nigerians’ already bruised bodies of gaping sores. Enough is enough, please.”
Similarly, noted that what he expected from the lawmakers are fiscal governance and devolution of powers that can make lives better and more prosperous, not additional creation of states.
Adegboruwa said, “Fiscal governance and devolution of powers to sub-units. The Federal Government is already over-bloated. The present states go cap in hand every month for allocations. Most of the states are not viable.
“It is not the best they can do. There is no need for more states or additional creation because some of our ones do not meet expectations. They are not self-sufficient. They collect more and deliver hopelessness to the people. There should be something more serious for them to discuss.”
Similarly, Tijani Abdulmumin, the President of the Young Ambassadors of Northern Nigeria (YAN), said there was no need to create more states as most of these states do not have what it takes to survive apart from the monthly federal allocations.
Abdulmumin said, “There is no need to create additional states. It is not only to develop but to see the economic impact these states will have.
“Some states are currently facing economic challenges. Are we looking at creating more states? To what extent would this add value to our status? I would be glad if we could continue to maintain these 36 states, including the FCT.
“In the recent tax reform, you will see that on the issue of derivation, we are looking at who is producing more. Who has contributed more? Who has added more to the resources found? However, looking at it from the perspective of population and quality, we cannot overlook it.
“Even the region with the highest population is finding it difficult to add to the nation’s economy to talk more of creating additional ones. What will we do if you add more states, or who will benefit?”
*This is a welcome development, says rights activist, as HURIWA, others make special case for S’ East alone
Reacting to the development, the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), while arguing that creating additional states across the country would not be sustainable, suggested that one additional state be designed to balance the South-East geo-political zone.
In an interview with ThisNigeria yesterday, HURIWA, a civil society organisation (CSO), said there are not sufficient funds to properly manage such states when they are created because the Federal government of Nigeria is broke.
The Head of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said representatives from other zones suddenly woke up asking for the creation of more states as soon as the Southeast started demanding one additional state for their region.
He said, “People from other states like the South West and North-West should not even ask for any other state, because they will not be sustainable.
“Look at the number of states we have in Nigeria today- 36 and the FCT- not more than three are self-sustaining in financing, and the rest are not financially viable for self-sustainability.
“Why do you come out to ask for states to be created in the South-West, North-West, Kano, and Kaduna? To mention a few, where will they find the money to build structures to run the states if created?
“Today, Nigeria is even broke; the government cannot even pay workers, especially the civil servants, when due; how will the new states recruit their staff, and where will they get resources to function?
He assured that the move for state creation would not see the light of day, stressing that it is justifiable and understandable to create an additional state for the South-East zone to equate it with others.
He stressed that the other zones are only asking for more states to thwart the efforts of the South-East in getting an additional state from the government.
Also, Usman Katun Umar, a media consultant and civil society activist, said it is a welcomed development that would have started long ago.
Umar said, “Nigeria has 36 states today, 12 of which originate from the three regions. If you check, only the military has created states in Nigeria. This is a democratic experiment that I would love to see come true. There’s a narrative that only the military can develop states.
“It’s an exciting proposal, and I want to see it succeed. I would like to see how the legislators go about realising this. You can question the viability. But realise that it’s not all about House of Reps members, it is various groups pushing their demands through their representatives. Theirs is to present it to the legislators. I want to see how this is realised.
“Funding, yes, that is what I mean by viability. How many states are viable and can operate without federal allocation, except very few? So, all of them will go back to the same federal coffers. Some of these things, in the beginning, will seem impossible till you put your first foot into the water.”
Similarly, stakeholders in the Southeast geopolitical zone have risen against the proposed creation of 31 additional States by the House of Representatives Committee of the National Assembly, making a total of 67 states in Nigeria.
Those who spoke with ThisNigeria yesterday insisted that anything short of seven states for each of the nation’s six geo-political zones amounts to injustice and marginalization of the South East zone.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Inter-Society, Emeka Umeagbalasi, said for the county to get it right in its quest for viable socio-political and economic stability and framework, there must be 42 states structure with each geo-political zone getting seven states each in its kitty.
Umeagbalasi pointed out that it was an error of political and population calculations for the South East to be given 10 states out of the total 67 states, the South West garnering 13 states, and the North going home with more states at a time. There is inequality in the creation of local government areas and federal constituencies in the country.
He said, “The new states that must be created must be based on population strength, not land mass. These guys have been fooling us by using land mass to create a state. Population, not land mass, is used in making a state, so whatever they want to do must be done equitably and fairly.
“Days are gone when all these odd things are tolerated. We had a situation where a particular state had a larger land mass, so they created more local government areas because it has more land mass; human beings are the fundamental issue in determining the situation.
“Whatever they want to do, they must do it equitably; you cannot take because a particular area has more land mass you create more states and local government areas; human beings are the fundamental basis for creating State and local government areas and not landmass or number of cows.
“So, whatever they want to do, they must ensure equity. Human beings are the basis for creating a state, local government and electoral constituencies, polling units and others.”
A lawyer and social commentator, Benson Odey, said state creation was the country’s least pressing problem at the moment.
In an interview with ThisNigeria, he said the nation’s current needs were good governance and a reduction in the cost of governance.
He said, “The multiple states if created, will still depend on the paltry revenue of the federal government. At the moment, Nigeria depends on borrowing to fund its budget, yet the House of Representatives is proposing 31 more states.
“I just hope that the Senate will not concur, and even if they do, Mr. President shouldn’t assent to it. Politicians want to use it for political popularity towards 2027 elections.”
