February 09, (THEWILL) – Judging from the unfavourable public reception of media reports that the House of Representatives was proposing the creation of 31 states, its leadership had to immediately issue a clarification on Thursday, February 6, 2024.
The proposals were submitted as private members’ bills, they said, adding that the proposals do not represent the official position of the House.
“The process of creation of states has a constitutional provision to it,” Honourable Akin Rotimi, Jr., spokesperson of the House of Representatives further explained to THEWILL on Friday.
He added that, “The House Committee on the Constitutional Review collates memoranda from all over Nigeria. As of now, we have 350 different memoranda, and you know any memoranda has to be sponsored by an individual serving member or a senator. What the Deputy Speaker said on Wednesday (February 5, 2024) was that before members make their submissions, they have to meet the constitutional criteria without which the proposals cannot be entertained.”
Investigation confirms this trend. Members appear to sponsor bills without following the constitutional and legislative provisions, which suggests some hidden motives for such sponsorship.
The standard criteria for agitation for state creation in Nigeria rests on addressing historical, communal, geographical imbalances. But some lawmakers with motives for political control and dominance are said to be ready to game the system.
THEWILL recalls that on June 11, 2024, for instance, a bi-partisan bill seeking to create Etiti State from the five South-East states passed second reading in the House of Representatives. Sponsored by five lawmakers from the South-East geo-political zone, namely, Amobi Ogah (LP, Abia), Miriam Onuoha (APC, Imo), Kama Nkemkama (LP, Ebonyi), Chinwe Nnabuife (YPP, Anambra), and Anayo Onwuegbu (LP, Enugu), the bill, which was debated during a plenary session after a debate on its general principles, sought to amend Section 3(1) of the 1999 Constitution to increase the number of states from thirty-six to thirty-seven by inserting “Etiti” immediately after “Enugu.”
Section 3(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states that there shall be 36 states in Nigeria.
This intention of this bill that aimed to carve out a new state from the five South-east states of Abia, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, and Imo, and to comprise 11 local government areas with Lokpanta as the designated capital, was, according to Rep Ogah proposed to, “address a longstanding issue of regional parity and administrative efficiency within the South-east geopolitical zone of Nigeria.”
Currently, the southeast region has the lowest number of states in Nigeria, five. All other regions-the Southsouth, Southwest, Northcentral, Northeast – have six states each with the Northwest as the only one composed of seven states.
However, after Speaker Abbas Tajudeen put the bill to vote, members unanimously voted in support. The bill was referred to the Committee on Constitution Review for further legislative action.
Still, another lawmaker from the Southeast region, Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo), has sponsored another bill, which seeks to create Orlu State with Orlu as the capital.
At the Senate, Senator Ned Nwoko also sponsored a bill for the creation of Anioma State for the same purpose of addressing the historical imbalance in the Southeast.
Proposing his bill, he said, “There is the urgent need to address the injustice, the years of crying of marginalisation by Ndigbo generally. It has a huge population in Nigeria, but they only have five states, and so, it (Anioma) will make six states of Ndigbo.
When asked if the action of the five southeast lawmakers seeking to add Etiti state to the constitution did not constitute a legislative fiat for the purpose of advancing political interests? Hon. Rotimi, Jr. referenced the Thursday statement clarifying the position of the House on the proposal for the creation of states.
Rotimi, Jr. said, “I will not pre-empt the Clerk to the House Committee on Constitutional Review in terms of that event. Have they met the required number of signatories of both the national and state lawmakers.? It is not enough for members to co-sponsor bills without signatures of Senators, House members, members of State Assemblies. That was the purpose of the latest correspondence from the Clerk of the Committee, urging members to get those requirements and re-present the bills.”
THE COMMITTEES’ CLERK STATEMENT
The Clerk to the House Committee on Constitutional Review issued a clarification statement to clarify issues raised in media reports on the proposed 31 new states. The statement which was obtained by this newspaper said the media reports contained some inaccuracies and misrepresentations of the legislative process. It was signed by Hon. Rotimi Jr.
In it, he explained that during plenary on Thursday, February 6, 2025, the Deputy Speaker, who also serves as the Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review (HCCR), announced that the Committee had received 31 proposals for the creation of new states.
These proposals, he said, submitted as private member bills, do not represent the official position of the House.
“The mandatory constitutional requirements for such bills to progress to the next stage of legislative scrutiny were read out by the Deputy Speaker for the notice of Members and onward action.
“The Committee has reviewed the proposals for the creation of new states in accordance with Section 8(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (As Amended). This section outlines specific requirements that must be fulfilled to initiate the process of state creation which include the following:
New States and Boundaries; An act of the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new state shall only be passed if (a) It is supported by at least a two-thirds majority of members representing the area demanding the new state in each of the following: the Senate and House of Representatives, the House of Assembly in respect of the area, and the Local Government Council in respect of the area, as received by the National Assembly.”
Regarding proposals for the creation of new Local Government Councils, he added, “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 fulfilment of state demands.”
The communication, he added, further directed that proposals shall be resubmitted in strict adherence to the stipulations. “Submit three hard copies of the full proposal of the memoranda to the Secretariat of the Committee at Room H331, House of Representatives, White House, National Assembly Complex, Abuja, not later than Wednesday, March 5, 2025,” he said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, as with all constitutional amendment proposals, these submissions will undergo thorough legislative scrutiny, including public hearings, stakeholder engagements and multiple levels of approval before any constitutional changes can be effected.
“It must be noted that the Deputy Speaker, in his capacity as Presiding Officer at today’s plenary, read the announcement as a communication from the Clerk of the Constitution Review Committee, which he chairs. The Committee will align with constitutional provisions and will only consider proposals that comply with the stipulated guidelines.
“Additionally, the House remains committed to a transparent and inclusive constitutional review process that reflects the will of the Nigerian people.”
THERE ARE INDEED 33 PROPOSED NEW STATES
The proposed states currently before the National Assembly include Okun, Okura and Confluence from Kogi; Benue Ala and Apa from Benue; FCT State; Amana from Adamawa; Katagum from Bauchi; Savannah from Borno; Muri from Taraba; New Kaduna and Gujarat from Kaduna State; Tiga and Ari from Kano; Kainji from Kebbi; Etiti and Orashi as the sixth states in the South-East; Adada from Enugu; and Orlu and Aba.
Others are Ogoja from Cross River, Warri from Delta, Ori and Obolo from Rivers, Torumbe from Ondo, Ibadan from Oyo, Lagoon from Lagos, and Ogun, Ijebu from Ogun, and Oke Ogun/Ijesha from Oyo/Ogun/Osun States. If Anioma and Etiti that have passed second readings in the National Assembly are included, the numbers add up to 33.
ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF STATES
One of the reasons for kicking against further creation of states, at least for now, is the question of viability. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, economic viability of any state is often measured by its Internally Generated Revenue. In its recent report published in October 2024, the body listed economically viable states in Nigeria as seven. They are Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Kaduna, Kwara, Oyo and Edo.
The NBS and the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) report showed that while Lagos received the sum of N370.9 billion from the Federation Account and generated N651 billion as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), Ogun on the other hand, received N113.4 billion from the Federation Account and generated N120.5 billion internally.
On the other hand, Rivers State received N363.4 billion from the Federation Account and generated N172 billion while Kaduna received N155 billion and generated N58 billion.
Also, Kwara received N99 billion and generated N35.7 billion; Oyo received N181 billion and generated N62 billion, while Edo received N147 billion in federal allocation and generated N47.4 billion.
The total IGR of N1.5 trillion from the seven most viable states was almost twice the total IGR of 29 states together that merely generated about N650 billion.
LAWMAKERS TAKING THE SHORTCUT
Still, for political reasons, many senior lawmakers habour the propensity to bypass this constitutional and legislative provisions, however cumbersome. Take Senator Ned Nwoko, (PDP, Delta North) for example. Last Wednesday, he said one of the reasons he defected from his party to the governing All Progressives Congress, was to consummate the promise for the creation of Anioma State, an age-long political pursuit.
He said, “I left because I want to be able to get the support of the ruling party in the creation of Anioma state. If Anioma State is created—which I am fighting for—it will be a reality because APC leaders have assured me of their commitment.”
Senator Nwoko failed to answer repeated calls to his phone, seeking further explanation. So did Rep Ikenga Ugochinyere.
However, the Chief of Staff to Senator Nwoko, Dr Michael Nwoko, explained that the senator actually lobbied President Bola Tinubu over the creation of Anioma State before he defected from the PDP to APC, last week.
“He engaged with the President over the Anioma State creation,” Dr Michael told THEWILL in a brief interview. “Before you get such things done in Nigeria, you have to lobby at the federal level. That is the true essence of the representative of the people. Creation of Anioma State is going to be the biggest legacy for him. So, he is very much in touch with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Asked if he knew why the Senator would prefer to lobby before fulfilling the constitutional provisions for the creation of the envisaged state, Dr Michael posed a question in reply.
“If you were the president, would you create a state and give it to the opposition? You know that the answer to that question is not far-fetched if you want to be dispassionate. It is very clear.
“So, the senator wants to own the state and become its governor or the godfather in control?” he was asked. He replied that Senator Nwoko has made his intentions clear that he was not interested in becoming governor of an Anioma State.
“He is even advocating someone from the Ndokwa area of the envisaged state to be governor so as to correct the economic deprivation of the area for a very long time.
“According to him, Ndokwa is the most underdeveloped area in the North Senatorial Constituency being represented by the Senator, despite it having six out of the nine local governments in the constituency, which produce oil and gas. So, the senator is not nursing any inordinate ambition as far as Anioma is concerned,” he said. But when pressed further, he literally caved in.
“Power belongs to God,” he said, adding, “By the time Anioma is created, God will determine who becomes governor. After all, there will be a lot of things that would be done during the period after its creation; things like boundary delineation for proper election, democratic imbalances that need to be put right and so on.”
He however admitted that constitutional and legislative processes towards the realisation of the creation of the state are still ongoing. These include the sponsorship of the bill by Senator Nwoko and a recent retreat in Kano by the Joint Committee of Constitutional Amendment during which the proposals on state creation were discussed exhaustively.
“The bill on the creation of Anioma State has passed second reading,” he said and argued that with the oil and gas reserves in the proposed state, the worry about its viability was out of the question.
Hon Rotimi Jr, who said he would prefer not to engage in any discussion of political motivation on the part of the sponsors of bills on state creation among federal lawmakers, however, said, “People have different reasons for sponsoring bills. I would not comment on that except to say that the Constitution has specified the inclusive process to go about it. People have talked about historical imbalances as in the southeast that has five states. All over Nigeria, there have been some reasons as well. One cannot preempt the reasons why certain people are sponsoring a bill, but the constitution has made it difficult to carry it out without following an inclusive process.”
Amos Esele is the Acting Editor of THEWILL Newspaper. He has over two decades of experience on the job.
