By Abigail Philip David
The House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review has proposed the creation of 31 new states across Nigeria. If approved, this would increase the number of states in the country from 36 to 67.
The proposal was announced during Thursday’s plenary session by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who presided in the absence of Speaker Tajudeen Abbas. The committee, chaired by Kalu, outlined the distribution of the proposed states: six in the North Central, four in the North East, five in the North West, five in the South East, four in the South-South, and seven in the South West.
Process for State Creation
According to the committee, the process for creating new states requires:
1. A National Assembly act supported by at least a two-thirds majority of members.
2. Approval from the House of Representatives, relevant State Houses of Assembly, and affected Local Government Councils.
3. A referendum as required under Section 8(3) of the Nigerian Constitution, with results forwarded to the National Assembly.
The committee emphasized that all proposals must strictly adhere to constitutional provisions and be submitted in both hard and electronic copies to the committee’s secretariat.
List of Proposed New States
The newly proposed states include:
– North Central: Okun, Okura, Confluence (from Kogi), Benue Ala, Apa (from Benue), and FCT State.
– North East:Amana (from Adamawa), Katagum (from Bauchi), Savannah (from Borno), and Muri (from Taraba).
– North West: New Kaduna, Gurara (from Kaduna), Tiga, Ari (from Kano), and Kainji (from Kebbi).
– South East: Etiti, Orashi, Adada (from Enugu), Orlu, and Aba.
– South-South: Ogoja (from Cross River), Warri (from Delta), Ori, and Obolo (from Rivers).
– South West: Torumbe (from Ondo), Ibadan (from Oyo), Lagoon (from Lagos), Ijebu (from Ogun), Ogun State, and Oke Ogun/Ijesha (from Oyo/Ogun/Osun).
The committee reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that all state creation proposals align with constitutional guidelines.
