•National Assembly Complex, Abuja
Six new states have been proposed by the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review, it was learnt yesterday.
The proposal was one of the key resolutions of the two-day retreat, co-chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu in Lagos, reports The Nation.
The joint committee considered 69 bills, 55 state creation requests, two boundary adjustments, and 278 local government creation requests during the retreat.
During the consideration of the 55 requests for state creation, the joint committee unanimously resolved that six additional states should be created.
If approved, the number of states will increase from 36 to 42.
A state will, therefore, be created in each of the six geopolitical zones of the Northwest, Northeast, Northcentral, Southwest, Southsouth, and Southeast.
Consequently, Southsouth will have seven states; Southwest, seven; Southeast, six; Northwest, eight; Northeast, seven; and Northcentral, seven.
The resolution will form part of the report of the joint committee that is expected to be presented to both chambers of the National Assembly in the first week of November.
A principal officer said the resolution on state creation was unanimously supported by all lawmakers from both chambers in the spirit of fairness and equity.
He said the lawmakers also resolved to create a sub-committee to identify areas from which the six additional states will be carved.
The Senate Chief Whip, Mohammed Tahir Monguno, will chair the Senate Committee to identify the areas.
A member of the sub-committee from Northwest assured that the committee will review all 55 requests submitted to the National Assembly to develop the six new state proposals.
He said: “We will meticulously review the 55 requests for state creation to come up with the areas where the six new states will be carved from.
“We will be fair and just to all the promoters of state creation.”
State creation requires an amendment to the Constitution.
Any amendment requires two-thirds support in the National Assembly and a concurrence of two-thirds of the Houses of Assembly in the 36 states.
Attempts to contact Dr Innocent Mebiri, the Clerk of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, were unsuccessful as his phone number was unreachable.
The pressure from areas agitating for states has been intense in the last few months.
A group from Delta North has drawn a map of Anioma State, which they are proposing as the sixth state for the Southeast.
In Oyo State, the Ibadan State agitation was brought publicly before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he attended the coronation of Oba Rahidi Ladoja as the 44th Olubadan.
Oba Ladoja himself threw up the request while directly speaking to the President.
He added that it is the wish of his people that Ibadan state should be created out of Oyo before or by 2027.
