Lagos, Nigeria — The Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review has approved the creation of an additional state in Nigeria’s South-East geo-political zone.
According to a statement from the committee’s media unit, the decision was reached during a two-day retreat in Lagos on Saturday, where lawmakers reviewed 55 proposals for new states across the country.
The session was chaired by the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, and co-chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu. Lawmakers agreed that the creation of an additional state in the South-East was necessary to promote fairness and equity among Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.
Mr Kalu, a strong advocate for the move, said that a new state would give people in the region “a greater sense of belonging.”
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When created, the South-East will have six states—bringing it in line with the South-South, South-West, North-Central, and North-East zones. The region currently has five states: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.
During the retreat, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) moved a motion for the new state’s creation, which was seconded by Ibrahim Isiaka (Ifo/Ewekoro, Ogun State). The motion received unanimous support from members of the committee.
In addition, the committee established a sub-committee to review proposals for the creation of additional states and local government areas across all six zones. A total of 278 submissions were received for consideration.
Deputy Senate President Jibrin urged members to build consensus among their colleagues in the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly to ensure the proposals are approved during voting.
“We need to strengthen what we have started so that all parts of the country will key into this process,” he said. “By the time we get to the actual voting, we should already have the buy-in of all stakeholders.”
