The Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review has approved the creation of an additional state in the South East region of Nigeria.
A statement from the committee’s media unit revealed that the decision was reached on Saturday during a two-day retreat in Lagos, where members examined fifty-five proposals for new states across the country.
The meeting, chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and co-chaired by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, resolved that the Federal Government should establish another state in the South East in the spirit of fairness and equity.
Benjamin Kalu, who has been one of the strong advocates for an additional state in the region, noted that such a move would give the people of the South East a greater sense of belonging in the Nigerian federation.
With the creation of a new state, the South East would have six states, bringing it to the same level as the South South, South West, North Central, and North East regions. At present, the South East consists of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo, making it the only zone with five states.
In contrast, the North West has seven states, namely Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Jigawa.
According to the statement, Senator Abdul Ningi of Bauchi Central moved the motion for the creation of the new state, which was seconded by Ibrahim Isiaka from Ogun State. The motion reportedly received unanimous support from committee members and was adopted.
The committee also formed a sub-committee to further review the creation of additional states and local government areas across all six geopolitical zones, noting that a total of two hundred and seventy-eight proposals were submitted for consideration.
Speaking at the retreat, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin called on members to mobilise support among their colleagues in both the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly to ensure the resolutions are approved during voting.
“We need to build on the progress we have made so that every part of the country will be fully involved in this process. By the time we reach the voting stage, all stakeholders from both chambers and the state assemblies should already be on board,” he stated.
