The Proposed State Creation Jamboree 

For the National Assembly to encourage Nigerians to submit proposals for the creation of 31 new states, when the current 36-State structure is becoming increasingly unsustainable is an indication that the ongoing constitution review may potentially end up as another jamboree as the previous exercises since 1999, Ejiofor Alike writes

When the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio on February 14, 2024 constituted a 45-member Committee on Constitution Review chaired by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, many Nigerians believed that the federal lawmakers had learnt lessons from the previous constitution reviews that ended up as jamborees after gulping billions of naira of taxpayers’ money.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, also later inaugurated the 43-member committee at an inaugural ceremony and citizens’ engagement held on February 26, 2024 in Abuja and supported by Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). 

With the previous exercises ending without any meaningful amendments to the constitution, Nigerians had expected the federal lawmakers to focus on amendments on a variety of thematic areas, including the creation of state police, fiscal federalism and revenue allocation, judicial reforms, electoral reforms, reduction on cost of governance and other issues that would promote good governance and welfare of all persons in the country based on the principles of freedom, equality and justice.

But no sooner than the lawmakers kickstarted the process than the contentious and diversionary issue of state creation was allowed to take the centre stage.

For the lawmakers who understand the unsustainability of the current 36-state structure better than the average Nigerian to encourage the submission of proposals for the creation of 31 new states, defies all logics and gives the impression that the ongoing exercise was designed to potentially end up as another jamboree.

Various reports have shown that Lagos and Rivers states are perhaps the only two states out of the 36 states that have the capacity to generate the revenues that could sustain them without the monthly allocations from the Federation Account.

This provides enough justification for the federal lawmakers to discourage the agitation for the creation of new states and encourage proposals for constitutional amendments that could strengthen each of the existing states and make them financially viable and self-sustaining.   

But the lawmakers ignored the lack of feasibility of new states and encouraged Nigerians to submit proposals, a booby trap that could potentially derail the entire exercise.

With every section of Nigeria claiming to be a victim of injustice and marginalisation under the Nigerian federation, it is not surprising that Nigerians agitated for the creation of 31 additional states.

On February 6, 2025, the House of Representatives announced the receipt of proposals for the creation of 31 new states in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.

A breakdown of the proposals showed that the North- central requested for the creation of seven states, including the upgrading of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, to the status of a state.

In the North-east, proposals were received for the creation of four new states. In the North-west were proposals for the creation of five new states. South-east submitted proposals for the creation of five states. South-south submitted proposals for four new states. In the South-west, there were proposals for the creation of six new states.

Though the federal lawmakers understand the unviability of new states and the complexity of creating them, they have continued to give Nigerians hope that they were prepared to consider proposals that comply with the stipulated guidelines.

However, well-meaning Nigerians who are committed to the efforts to correct the structural defects in the country have seen through what many described as this political deceit.

Condemnations have trailed this wild goose chase by the lawmakers.

The apex Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere and the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) had described the proposals as ridiculous.

The National Organising Secretary of Afenifere, Abagun Kole Omololu described it as a mere political exercise that will further weaken governance and deepen economic inefficiencies. He noted that many existing states rely heavily on federal allocations to survive.

“Turning every local government into a state is not the solution to Nigeria’s governance challenges. The real issue is not the number of states but the dysfunctional federal structure that has concentrated power at the centre, stifling regional development,” he said.

Afenifere urged the National Assembly to focus on constitutional reforms that would devolve power, return resource control to the regions, and grant states the autonomy to develop at their own pace.

On its part, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) had also rejected the proposed creation of 31 new states.

The National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Prof Tukur Muhammad-Baba, had reportedly stated that ACF was not in support of the proposed creation of new states due to the country’s complexity and the potential for creating more problems.

However, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, had insisted that more states should be given to the South-east to address the wrongs that had been done to the region.

 National Publicity Secretary of the organisation, Ezechi Chukwu, while rejecting the proposed 31 states, argued that the South-east is the only zone with the least number of states.

“So, giving the South-east such a small number of five states in this bill when others that already have advantages orchestrated by successive governments before now are getting more states is quite unacceptable.”

On its part, the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), according to a media report, had stated that the creation of more states could be meaningful if all the geo-political zones in the country have equal states as agreed in the last constitutional conference.

The spokesman for PANDEF, Christopher Ominimini, however, questioned the viability of new states, pointing out that states should be created based on self-sustainability.

“If the creation of more states became necessary, it should be done equally across the board to level up with the North-West, which has seven states. Anything short of that would be a perpetuation of the injustice in the country,” he insisted.

Also contributing to the debate, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof. Mike Ozekhome, described it as a wasteful venture in the face of national issues confronting the socio-economic growth of the country, according to a statement he issued in Abuja.

“How can they be talking about creating additional 31 states when over two-thirds of the present states are unviable entities existing on life support and merely dependent on the federal centre for monthly oxygenation under section 162 of the 1999 Constitution?” he queried.

Many Nigerians believe that the lawmakers are fully aware that the charged political and sectional tensions in the country may not provide a conducive political environment for state creation but decided to embark on a political gimmick that could jeopardise the constitution review.