From David Onuoja, Abuja
The House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has announced that it has received 31 proposals for the creation of new states across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
Announcing this during the plenary, the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, in a letter he read at chamber said, the proposals include five from the North Central, four from the North East, five from the North West, five from the South East, four from the South South, and seven from the South West.
Some of the proposed new states include Gurara (Kaduna) Okun, Okura, and Confluence (Kogi); Benue Ala and Apa (Benue); FCT State; Amana (Adamawa); Katagum (Bauchi); Savannah (Borno); and Muri (Taraba). The committee outlined the conditions that must be met before any state creation requests can be approved, citing Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The section requires that a request to the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new state shall only be passed if a request supported by at least two-thirds majority of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly in respect of the area, and the Local Government Council in respect of the area, is received by the National Assembly.
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The committee has called on proponents of the new states to resubmit their proposals in strict adherence to the stipulations, including submitting three hard copies of the full proposal to the Secretariat of the Committee and sending sub-copies electronically to the Committee’s email address.
The development has sparked interest and debate across the country, with many Nigerians waiting to see how the proposals will be handled by the National Assembly.
