Despite Constitutional Hurdles, New State Promoters Remain Upbeat

In the face of constitutional hurdles to the creation of new states in Nigeria’s democratic dispensations, the promoters of additional sub-nationals in the current dispensation remain undeterred.

Consequently, there has been a surge in the agitations for the creation of more states, with numerous bills to amend the Constitution currently before the National Assembly.

LEADERSHIP Sunday reports that state creation in Nigeria goes back to 1967, when the then head of state, Gen Yakubu Gowon, created 12 states out of the four regions in existence. His successor, Murtala Mohammed, created an additional seven states in 1976, bringing the total number to 19.

Former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, Nigerian head of state between 1985 and 1993, created 11 more states: two in 1987 and nine in 1991. This brought the number of states in the country to 30, until 1996 when another military ruler, the late General Sani Abacha, added six states, bringing the number to 36.

While all these happened under different military interregnums, no state has been created under a civil administration despite constant demands and agitations, especially in the last 25 years since the return to democratic rule in 1999.

This is largely due to the constraints imposed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which made the process of creating additional states cumbersome.

Section 8 (1) of the Constitution provides that an Act of the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new state shall only be passed if: “(a) a request, supported by at least two-thirds majority of members (representing the area demanding the creation of the new state) in each of the following, namely: the Senate and the House of Representatives; the House of Assembly in respect of the area, and the local government councils in respect of the area, is received by the National Assembly; (b) a proposal for the creation of the state is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area where the demand for creation of the state originated; (c) the result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of all the States of the Federation supported by a simple majority of members of the Houses of Assembly; and (d) the proposal is approved by a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.”

Nevertheless, there are at least nine requests for state creation at various stages in the National Assembly.

A  bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to provide for the creation of Etiti State out of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States has passed second reading in the House of Representatives.

The bill, sponsored by Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah (Abia), Hon. Miriam Odinaka Onuoha (Imo), Hon. Kama Nkemkama (Ebonyi), Hon. Princess Chinwe Nnabuife (Anambra), and Hon. Anayo Onwuegbu (Enugu), seeks to address a longstanding issue of regional parity and administrative efficiency within the South East geopolitical zone.

It proposed an alteration to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to accommodate the creation of Etiti State, thereby increasing the number of states in the South East geopolitical zone from five to six.

Last Thursday, a bill seeking the creation of Okura State with Egume as the proposed state capital out of the present Kogi State, sponsored by the deputy House leader, Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims and eight others passed second reading in the Green Chamber.

Both bills have been referred to the House Committee on Constitution Review, chaired by the deputy speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, for further legislative actions.

Also, the House passed, for first reading, a bill for the creation of Orlu State in South East Nigeria, sponsored by the lawmaker representing Ideato North/South Federal Constituency of Imo State, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, and 10 others.

The House also passed through first reading and had slated for second reading a bill for the creation of Oke-Ogun with Saki as the proposed capital city, sponsored by Hon. Kareem Tajudeen Abisodun.

Similarly, the House received a bill sponsored by Hon. Oluwole Oke proposing the creation of three states, namely Ijebu, Oke-Ogun (also in the other bill), and Ife Ijesa states in the South West.

In the Senate, a bill for the creation of Adada State from Enugu State, sponsored by Senator Okey Ezea (LP, Enugu North) has passed through the first reading, as well as the one for the creation of Anioma State from Delta State, sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (PDP, Delta North).

The push for state creation is not coming only from the federal parliament.  Some socio-cultural groups, such as the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide had in February this year threatened to sue the Nigerian government over its failure to create an additional state in the South East.

The sponsors of the bills seeking the creation of more states have advanced reasons why these entities were necessary, citing development, economic prosperity, and viability and equity.

For instance, the lead sponsor of the bill for Etiti State, Hon. Ogah (LP, Abia) had argued that the creation of the state was not just a matter of administrative convenience but a step towards ensuring balanced regional development and effective governance.

“The creation of Etiti State will facilitate more targeted development initiatives, better resource allocation, and improved service delivery to the people. As we deliberate on this historic bill, let us remain guided by the imperative of fairness, efficiency, and progress. The creation of Etiti State represents a unique opportunity to strengthen our federal structure, empower our communities, and foster national unity,” he submitted.

Also, Senator Nwoko maintained that he presented a bill for the creation of Anioma State to correct what he described as a “historical oversight,” and added that the proposed state comprised nine Local Government Areas, six of which are rich in oil and gas resources.

“The region also boasts significant human capital, making it a viable and sustainable candidate for statehood. Creating Anioma State is not just about increasing the number of states; it is about ensuring fair representation and resource allocation for the South East,” he said.

Experts Doubt Economic Viability Of Proposed States

Meanwhile, opinion differs as to whether more states are needed as some of the existing ones are still not viable and self-sustaining even after many years of creation.

A political science lecturer at the Federal University Gombe, Kashere, Dr Vincent Terna Tavershima, said Nigeria does not need more states because of the economic situation on the ground, except for structural balance.

The don in an interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday said what Nigeria needs is true federalism as it is obtainable in the United States and Canada where the states pay royalties to the federal government and not the reverse  here in the country where the states government go to the federal government to collect money.

He averred that the existing states were enough and what should be done is to see how they are economically viable because, without economic viability, whether more states are created, Nigeria will still have the same problems that it faces.

Similarly, the executive director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo said the creation of additional states should only be considered on the basis of whether they are economically viable and able to generate their own resources.

Itodo, however, argued that though regions like the South East which has a fewer number of states can demand an additional one, because states are the basis for sharing national resources- economic, political, etc.

“We need to ask ourselves if the 36 states we have in the country are economically viable. And those are the kinds of conversations we should be having: how do we make those states more functional? But I think that people who are advocating for more states, especially regions like the South East, we need to create that balance because it has impact on how the nation allocates its resources; those resources are distributed across the states.

“I think that maybe states’ creation, perhaps, should be the second thing; let’s deal with the question of our local government structure; let’s decentralise and devolve but also ensure that if a particular region is disadvantaged like the South East region they should have at least one state to actually create that balance,” he said.

The executive director, Citizens Participation Against Corruption Initiative, Bishir Dauda Sabuwar, also said as it presently stands, only the South Eastern part of Nigeria has the right to demand an additional state to be created for it to balance up with other geopolitical zones.

Sabuwar said the creation of states or local governments is not the solution to the country’s challenges as a nation, but if establishing an additional state in the southeast can engender peace and tackle insecurity as well as other problems, it will be a welcome development.

“But it is very unfortunate that when we are trying to resolve the southeast question, then we are now witnessing demands for state creation from other parts of the country, including from the Northwest where there are seven states. To me, this is not appropriate.”

Adada Stakeholders Flaunt Potential

There is rising enthusiasm among Nsukka people in Enugu North over the possible creation of Adada State from Enugu State.

Promoters of the creation of Adada State say it is the only proposed state that has a long history and wide acceptance for its creation in the region.

They believe that historicity, cultural affinity, and wide acceptance of Adada on the one hand, and stiff opposition against contending proposed states on the other, bode well for its creation.

A bill for the creation of Adada State, which was sponsored by Senator Okey Ezea [LP, Enugu North] on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, has passed the first reading on the floor of the Senate

According to reports, ecstatic crowds gathered in several parts of Nsukka as the news broke of the incident. Adada also dominated conversations on several social media platforms, as people from the proposed state hailed Senator Ezea for sponsoring the bill.

The bill, which has been cited as the “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Alteration) Bill, 2024 (SB. 482)”, seeks to amend Section 3(1) and the First Schedule, Part 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to provide for the creation of Adada State to bring the number of South-East states to six (6); that would enable the South-East to be at par with the other geopolitical zones of the country.

LEADERSHIP Sunday learned that the agitation for the creation of Adada State dates to 1983 when the senator representing Nsukka senatorial zone in the Second Republic, Engr. Isaiah Ani, presented a bill.

Expectations were also high after the 2014 Constitutional Conference had recommended that an additional state be created in the South-East.

Despite proposals for the creation of other states out of the South East geopolitical zone over the years, none has been as acceptable and as qualified as Adada:  It is the only old Province east of Niger created during the colonial era that has yet to become a state.

The chairman of Adada State Creation Movement, Hon James Ugwu, in an interview with select journalists, said Adada should be the state to create in the South East to ensure equity, justice, and fairness.

Ugwu disclosed that Adada is the oldest and already pre-qualified proposed state for creation in the South East, just he dismissed the move for the creation of Orlu State by the lawmaker representing Ideato North Local Government Area in the House of Representatives. Hon Ikenga Ugochinyere, saying it neither has wide acceptance nor followed due process for the creation of states.

At present, there are at least four movements for the creation of an additional state in the South East to raise its state composition to six, in line with other regions. The proposed four states are Adada, Anioma, Etiti and Anioma.

However, of the four, LEADERSHIP Sunday reports that there is opposition to the creation of Anioma, Orlu and Etiti, but Adada enjoys the support of Enugu and Ebonyi states, including people outside the two states. Unlike the proposed Etiti, Anioma and Orlu in which the proponents want to constitute the states with diverse peoples from different states, some of whom have already rejected their inclusion,  Adada, like Ekiti state, is monocultural, composed of the Nsukka cultural group in seven local government areas who make up 58 percent of the current population of Enugu State.

Chief Ugwu, who leads the Adada State creation quest, gave the history and the need to achieve equity and fairness with Adada creation.

He said, “Sometime in 1970, there was a request for the creation of Wawa State, which is Enugu today. The application was submitted to General Yakubu Gowon. In that document, which I have, South East is sharply divided into two, with equal population and landmass. We have the southern Igbos, known as Ndi Agbenu. The northern Igbos are known as Ndi Wawa, comprising Ebonyi and Enugu today. Southern Igbos presently have Abia, Anambra, and Imo states.

“People should morally see reasons that if any state should be created, it should be Adada, which is from the northern Igbo. Apart from that, if you talk about qualifications, Adada is the most qualified. We met all the criteria from the beginning. We don’t have dissenting voices. It was 100 percent signatories of all councillors, local government chairmen, House of Assembly and National Assembly members for Adada. The governments of Ebonyi and Enugu are supporting Adada.”

He further recalled that the Ararume Committee, in 2006, recommended Adada State when former President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted to create the sixth state in the South East.

“The National Assembly leadership from the South East invited us to Owerri. After hearing the submissions of the agitators, they went back to Abuja, looked at the submissions, and decided to go by voting. They were ten, two per state—one senator and one House of Reps. Adada had five votes, Aba had two, Orashi had three, Njaba had zero. That remains the only decision of the South East as far as state creation is concerned. Also, the 8th National Assembly disqualified all state creation agitators except Adada.”

Ugwu faulted Ugochinyere’s approach and said there are modalities for state creation, and not simply sponsoring bills in the National Assembly.

“The constitution specifies modalities on how states are created,” he said, “I don’t believe that states are created simply by moving motions on the floor of the House. Section 8 (1) particularly outlines the methodologies. It involves the signatures of the stakeholders, including elected local government chairmen, councillors, senators, and House of Representatives from the area demanding such state creation. They must all sign that they want the state, then send the request to the National Assembly. That is the time you could begin to think of moving motions. But the Orlu case is just to stand up and say you are moving a motion for its creation. I’m not sure they did what I just outlined, otherwise two constituencies of that area would not have pulled out.

Opposition To Orlu, Etiti, Anioma creation

Meanwhile, Ugwu is not the only one to fault Ugochinyere on his proposed Orlu State.

The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has kicked against proponents of either Orlu or Etiti states. Instead, it made a case for the creation of Anioma State in the South East.

Also, Ndokwa, Ukwuani communities in Delta North have opposed Sen Nwoko over Anioma State creation.

A Delta State socio-political group, the Ndokwa Renaissance, has threatened to mobilise the people of Delta North Senatorial District to recall Senator Ned Nwoko

for proposing that Anioma should be part of the volatile South East proposal without due consultation of the people of Delta North who will be negatively affected by such a move.

On its part, Ukwuani nation, which is one of the nine local government areas of Delta North region in the state, popularly referred to as Anioma, also disagreed with the senator on Anioma creation, saying they don’t want to be part of it.

In a statement on the issue, the Ukwuani people under the aegis of VOTAbanum, said they had been strange bedfellows with the people of Anioma and preferred to hobnob with the Urhobo, Isoko, Itsekiri ethnic nationalities than the people of Aniocha and Oshimili.