Joint National Assembly Committee Recommends Creation of Six New States, One for Each Geopolitical Zone

In a potentially transformative decision for Nigeria’s political structure, the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Constitution Review has approved the recommendation for the creation of six additional states across the country. This crucial resolution was adopted at the conclusion of a two-day retreat co-chaired by the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, in Lagos.

The joint committee, tasked with reviewing proposals for constitutional alterations, considered a total of 55 requests for state creation during its session on Saturday. The members unanimously agreed that six additional states should be created, which, if ratified, would increase the number of states in Nigeria from 36 to 42.

Dependable NG reports that the resolution stipulates the creation of one new state for each of the six geopolitical zones: North West, North East, North Central, South West, South South, and South East. This measure is specifically aimed at addressing the historical imbalance in the federation, particularly the long-standing agitation from the South East, which currently has the fewest number of states (five).

According to a statement released by Senator Barau Jibrin’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, the committee also reviewed 69 bills, two boundary adjustments, and 278 local government creation requests during the retreat. The Deputy Senate President noted the extensive work involved, stating, “We have been in this process for the past two years, engaging our constituents, critical stakeholders, institutions, civil society organisations and interest groups in town hall meetings… harvesting and synthesising views and perspectives which has ultimately culminated in what we have here today.”

With this approval, the number of states per zone would be adjusted as follows: North West would have eight states, North East seven, North Central seven, South West seven, South South seven, and South East six. The resolution, which is a major step in the constitution review process, now requires formal presentation to and approval by both chambers of the National Assembly and subsequent ratification by at least 24 State Houses of Assembly to become law.