If Nigeria must create more states, there should be a constitutional conference- Ex Lagos Lawmaker

Recently, the issue of state creation came to the front-burner as there is proposal on such before the National Assembly. In this interview with select journalists in Lagos, HON. VICTOR AKANDE PhD, who represented Ojo Constituency 1 in the Lagos State House of Assembly from 2015 to 2023, believes that without a people-oriented constitutional conference, creation of more states may not solve the challenges of structural imbalance in Nigeria. Akande opined that inputs from youth groups, professional associations, trade unions and civil society organisations are vital to creating new states and that it is only through a constitutional conference their inputs could be collated. OKUNADE ADEKUNLE was there.

What is your view on the proposed state creation by the National Assembly?

Once an issue is before the House of Representatives or the National Assembly, it is open for discussion. The issue of state creation has been presented to the House of Representatives and they should have feelers on whether they should allow the bill to go the next stage or kill it. Nigeria is a very big country, and do you think development is uniform in the country, the answer is no. The amalgamation that brought us together, do you think it made the country the way it ought to be, the answer is no. When they were increasing the states from 9 to 12, from 12 to 19 and 19 to 30 and now 36, did they look inward to do the groupings they should do in terms of culture, value, language and others. There is always a spillover from the creation of states. For instance, we have Ijebus in Lagos and Ogun States, why can’t we group them together and let them become a state. Also, we have cultural diversification among so many people in a state. All those states that were created and are still in existence, how is there development. It is now left for the people that feel marginalised to voice out. That is what the members of the House of Representatives are saying that some people are not developed and that the only way the development can go round is by creating more states. Again, you should look at the resources, before you can create a state, you need to know the resources that are available there before you can create so that the people would not struggle before they develop. If those resources are there, then you can go ahead. They have done a very good job by coming up with road maps for their kick off, it is not just creating states and three, four, five years, they are yet to develop.

How do you think the states can survive if new states are created since many of the existing states are yet to develop?

We are now tilting towards managing the resources in a state and contributing some percentage to the Federal Government through resource control and this will help the states to grow. Some states cannot meet up with their needs because the people are not bringing up good information about what can help the state. May be the management of the resources is not being done properly, everybody wants to see how his state can develop. Some of the states that have not been created can even perform more than some existing states. But before people can crave for new states, they have looked at their problems and they have seen that they can develop. We learned that they want to create Lagoon State from Lagos State, which will comprise the coastal areas, where water passes through. They can make it a tourism state and they would open the hinterlands and the coastal areas and people can have games and films villages there and make an international tourists state. Go to Mauritius and see what is happening there. Mauritius gets 70 to 80% of their I income from tourism.

Is it not better that we go back to regional government?

It will still boil down to the same thing, the new state can decide to develop on their own. What they were doing then was to use the money from the regions to develop them. But it cannot be done now because the Hausas and those who don’t have resources would not want regional government. They would think it is the Niger Delta people that have more resources than others and they would benefit more. You know we used to have four regions then.

Don’t you think creation of more states would lead to intensed power struggle among politicians?

The political undertone on creation of states comes from the fact that people from the various regions felt that the Hausas shortchanged them in the creation of states because most of the heads of states we have had were from the north and they allotted more states to the north than the south. So, we have more states in the north and in order to balance it everybody wants to have his own state. The basic truth is shortchanging some of the regions and they feel there should be a fair share. So the north has more states than the south and when you now go for election and since we base what we call two third majority, definitely they would beat us to it. They only need to have the support from the south, they are made. The north has three regions and more states than what the south has even with their own three regions, which has fewer states. The political structural imbalance should be addressed, but again if we must create states, we must have a constitutional conference. You cannot just do anything without the inputs of the people.

…But members of the National Assembly are representing us

…They are representing us, but still it is not a true reflection of what Nigeria is. Let people come and debate, let them come and talk. The National Assembly is trying, but there might still be compromise.

Are you saying that there should be a constitutional conference before states are created?

Yes, there are still so many things to be addressed. If we find ourselves together and we don’t talk, how are we going to agree, there would still be problems. Let me give you an instance, when agitation for Biafra came, they were calling some states in the South South, Biafra states, are they actually Biafra. So, we need to talk and discuss. We are not looking at Biafra coming back, but even if we must stay together, let’s talk. You cannot just ask me to marry you, when we have cultural and so many differences. On states creation, we should look at setting the boundaries, we should set them in a situation that we will know those who fall within a state not just a forced marriage of culture or forced marriage of language and dialect. Language is different from dialect. So, if I can’t understand what you are saying, how will I relate with you. All those things should be considered before the creation of states. If you create new states, what will be the possibility of our coming together to avoid problems on developing the states.

We had a constitutional conference in 2014 under former president Goodluck Jonathan, are you saying we should have another one?

Was it the wish of all Nigerians, where some people were just handpicked by the Federal Government. If people would be chosen, it should be a situation, where we elected them to go there.

….But we have elected people in the National Assembly

That is a different ball game. They can still talk and be part of the National conference. That you are in the National Assembly might not be a true reflection of you representing us. Every facet of the labour force should be in the constitutional conference, traditional institutions should also be in the conference, let’s talk.

The constitution that we have does not give any serious role to the traditional institutions, yet they are closed to the grassroots than the government. Yes, we have local government chairmen, but are they closer to the people like the traditional rulers. We need to fathom these before we create more states.

Where do you see the masses in all of the federal government policies?

I will just flog it with one stroke, in a situation where you come up with financial policies that will affect the people, what did you put in place to soothe the pains that the people will go through under these policies. What did the Federal or state governments put in place. The Federal Government has even tried, they have increased the monthly allocations to the states and local government to soothe the pains, but did the local governments and the states transfer this to the general public. What did they put in place to help the fantastic policies of the Federal Government in order to recover from the deep mess we found ourselves many years ago. When there is a law there must be a regulation. When you come up with stringent policies, you must come up with how to soothe the pains. When you put too much financial burdens on the people, you must think of how to ameliorate them. You are now dragging the people to violence, crime, corruption and what have you.

You represented the people of Ojo Constituency 1 for 8 years in the Lagos Assembly, what is your political plan as we approach 2027 election circle?

When it is time to defecate, the anus will open. When it is time to play politics, I would come out. I thank God for my life after an ailment. You can be rest assured that I will come with a bang soon. I cannot leave politics. By 2027, House of Representatives would be a done deal.