House committee receives 31 new state proposals across Nigeria

By Kunle Sanni

The House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution announced on Thursday that it has received 31 proposals for the creation of new states across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

According to The Nation newspaper, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu made this known during a plenary session, where he read a letter from the committee outlining the prerequisites for approving any state creation requests.

The letter emphasized that proposals must meet the specific requirements set out in Section 8 of the amended 1999 Constitution before the process can be initiated.

The 31 proposals are distributed across the zones as follows:

• North Central: 5 proposals
• North East: 4 proposals
• North West: 5 proposals
• South East: 5 proposals
• South South: 4 proposals
• South West: 7 proposals

The list of proposed states includes:

• North Central: Okun, Okura, and Confluence (Kogi State); Benue Ala and Apa (Benue State); and a proposed FCT State.
• North East: Amana (Adamawa), Katagum (Bauchi), Savannah (Borno), and Muri (Taraba).
• North West: New Kaduna and Gurara (Kaduna State); Tiga and Ari (Kano State); and Kainji (Kebbi State).
• South East: Proposals for a sixth state, including Etiti and Orashi, as well as Adada, Orlu, and Aba (from Enugu and neighboring areas).
• South West: Proposals include Ibadan (Oyo State), Lagoon (Lagos State), and a combined entity covering Ogun, Ijebu, and Oke Ogun/Ijesha areas (Oyo, Ogun, and Osun States).
• South South: Proposals include Ogoja (Cross River), Warri (Delta), Ori and Obolo (Rivers), and Torumbe (Ondo).

The letter stated:

“A request to the National Assembly for the creation of 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, and the House of Assembly of the area concerned, as well as the Local Government Councils within the proposed state.”

The committee also addressed local government creation advocates, stating:

“Section 8 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, applies to this process. Specifically, in accordance with Section 8(3) of the Constitution, the outcome of the votes of the State Houses of Assembly in the referendum must be forwarded to the National Assembly for further action.”

Proponents were directed to resubmit their proposals in strict compliance with the stipulated guidelines. The submission requirements include:

• Three hard copies of the full proposal or memoranda to be sent to the Secretariat of the Committee at Room H331, House of Representatives, White House, National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
• Electronic copies must also be sent to the committee’s email address at info.hccr.gov.ng.

The committee reaffirmed its commitment to upholding constitutional provisions and stated that only proposals meeting the required guidelines would be considered.