senate_national_assembly_nigeria

List of 23 New States in Nigeria Being Proposed By Senate Committee on Constitution Review

Last updated on August 5th, 2023 at 09:39 pm

Nigeria was a federating state comprising three regions till Independence in 1960, it became four regions by 1963 with the creation of the Mid-Western region. By 1967, 12 states were created, thereby overhauling regional government.

Other successive governments created more states to bring the total to 36 at the time of this publication, but Nigeria’s Senate Committee on Constitution Review believes Nigeria needs more states, as such they submitted a proposal for the creation of additional 23 new states in Nigeria.

The history of state creations in Nigeria dated back to the military regime of Yakubu Gowon in 1967, details are available at: https://infomediang.com/history-state-creations-nigeria-1967-till-date

If the creation of the new states scaled through, it would bring the total number of states in Nigeria to 59.

How do they plan to create new states?

According to a report, the Senate Committee proposed that referendum should be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to bring the creation to fruition.

Below are the 23 new states the Senate is proposing to be created out of the existing 36 states and the geo-political zones where each of the proposed states would come from:

Proposed States The existing States From Which They Will Be Created Geo-Political Zones
Ibadan State Oyo West
Ijebu State Ogun West
Etiti State Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu, southeast Zone
Tiga State Kano North West
Ghari State Kano North West
Gurara State Kaduna (South) North West
Orashi State Imo and Anambra South East
Adada State Enugu South East
Excision of Aba State Abia South East
Njaba State Imo South East
Anioma State Delta South-South
Mambilla State Taraba North East
Amana State Adamawa North East
Gongola State Adamawa North East
Katagum State Bauchi North East
Torogbene State Bayelsa (Delta) South-South
 Oil River States Rivers South-South
Savannah State Borno North East
Okun state Kogi North Central
Okura State Kogi (East) North Central
Bayajida State  Katsina, Jigawa, and Zamfara states North West
ITAI State Akwa Ibom South-South
Abuja State Federal Capital Territory (FCT) North Central
Also Read:  How to Unsubscribe from MTN Value Added Services (VAS)

Provision of 1999 Nigeria Constitution About Creation of New States

The creation of new states is a cumbersome process in a democratic dispensation because it has to pass through various stages and levels.

Creation of states isn’t done by a proclamation  (decree) as we’ve seen during the military regimes in 1967, 1976, 1987, 1991, and 1996.

History shows that military regimes created all the 36 states presently in the country. A military regime only needed a few suggestions from those who are closer to the government. It is not the same in a civilian government.

This is one of the reasons the law is very clear on how the process should be done. According to the constitution, the National Assembly can NEVER unilaterally proclaim the creation of new states, it is a difficult process.

Specifically, Section 8 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria sub-section 1 entitled, “New states and boundary adjustment, etc” states thus:

Section 8 (1) An Act of the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new State shall only be passed if-

(a) a request, supported by at least two-thirds majority of members (representing the area demanding the creation of the new State) in each of the following, namely –

(i) the Senate and the House of Representatives,

(ii) the House of Assembly in respect of the area, and

(iii) the local government councils in respect of the area,

is received by the National Assembly;

(b) a proposal for the creation of the State is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area where the demand for creation of the State originated;

(c) the result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of all the States of the Federation supported by a simple majority of members of the Houses of Assembly; and

(d) the proposal is approved by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.

Why It Is Very Difficult For Civilian Government To Create a New State in Nigeria?

Corroborating the provision of the constitution, spokesman of the Nigeria Senate, Barr. Ajibola Basiru, says the National Assembly doesn’t have the unilateral power to create new states.

Also Read:  History of Anambra State

The Osun Central senator, who described the report as a gross misrepresentation of the decision of the committee on constitution review, says the committee only received several Bills proposing the creation of new states.

“We’re not in a position to recommend or proposed the creation of any state unless there is compliance with the provisions of section 8 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic as amended,” Channels TV quoted him as saying.

While totally debunking the report, the former commissioner in Osun State, stated that the committee only, “decided to refer the requests received to Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure compliance with section 8 of the Constitution.”

Maybe the military regime who gave Nigeria the 1999 constitution deliberately made it a herculean task to create additional states, maybe.

But then, experienced Nigerian legal luminaries were consulted and responsible for drafting the legal book.

What are your thoughts?

Would the creation of additional states in Nigeria solve agitation and other perceived inequality in the country?

References:

  • Provision of 1999 Constitution About State Creation: nigeria-law.org/ConstitutionOfTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria.htm
  • Senate Denies Report: channelstv.com/2021/08/08/senate-denies-proposing-creation-of-20-new-states

Author

  • InfomediaNG

    Infomediang Team comprises a group of researchers, data analysts, financial experts, and enthusiasts, whose passion lies in empowering people to make informed decisions about their investments, cryptocurrency holdings, and overall financial health. We are committed to providing readers with accurate, reliable, unbiased, and actionable information on a diverse array of subjects, including investment, finance, the economy, cryptocurrency, travel, and government agencies. Available @Infomedia_NG on X

1 thought on “List of 23 New States in Nigeria Being Proposed By Senate Committee on Constitution Review”

  1. I think this creation of new state would be incomplete if there’s no state carve out from cross river state, ogoja state precisely. Abi don’t we (Cross verians ) have Representatives in the upper house to speak for us.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top