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 geopolitical zone.
According to a statement from the committee’s media unit, the conclusion was made on Saturday at a two-day retreat in Lagos, where it considered 55 suggestions for state creation across the country.
The session, led by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and co-chaired by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, decided that, in the spirit of fairness and equity, the Federal Government should establish another state in the region.
Kalu stated that a new state would give people in the region a feeling of belonging, joining other MPs in advocating for more state creation.
When completed, the South-East will be on par with the South-South, South-West, North-Central, and North-East zones, each with six states.
The South-East is the sole geopolitical zone that includes five states: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.
The Northwest consists of seven states: Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Jigawa.
According to the statement, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) proposed the creation of the new state, which was seconded by Ibrahim Isiaka (Ifo/Ewekoro, Ogun State) at the retreat.
“The motion received the unanimous support of committee members and was adopted,” the statement read in part.
Similarly, the committee formed a subcommittee to investigate the establishment of new states and local government entities throughout all six geopolitical zones, noting that 278 suggestions had been submitted for evaluation.
Speaking at the ceremony, Jibrin asked members to seek support from their colleagues in the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly to guarantee the motions pass during voting.
“We need to strengthen what we have started so that all parts of the country will key into this process.
“By the time we get to the actual voting, we should already have the buy-in of all stakeholders—from both chambers and the state Houses of Assembly,” the Deputy Senate President was quoted as saying.
