National Assembly Panel Proposes Six New States in Fresh Constitution Review

The Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review has proposed the creation of six new states across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The proposal emerged as one of the major resolutions from the committee’s two-day retreat in Lagos, co-chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu.

During the session, the lawmakers reviewed 69 bills, 55 state creation requests, two boundary adjustment proposals, and 278 local government creation requests. After extensive deliberations, the committee unanimously agreed that each geopolitical zone should have one additional state, bringing the total number of states in the federation from 36 to 42 if approved.

Under the proposed arrangement, the Southsouth and Southwest zones will each have seven states, the Southeast six, the Northwest eight, and both the Northeast and Northcentral seven each. The resolution will be included in the committee’s report to be presented to both chambers of the National Assembly in the first week of November.

A principal officer of the committee confirmed that the decision enjoyed broad bipartisan support, describing it as a move driven by fairness and equity. Lawmakers also agreed to set up a sub-committee that will identify the specific areas from which the new states will be carved. Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Tahir Monguno is to chair the Senate panel responsible for that task.

A member of the sub-committee from the Northwest assured that all 55 submitted requests would be carefully examined before final recommendations are made. “We will meticulously review the 55 requests for state creation to come up with the areas where the six new states will be carved from. We will be fair and just to all promoters of state creation,” the lawmaker said.

The creation of new states requires an amendment to the Constitution, which must secure the support of two-thirds of members of the National Assembly and two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly.

Pressure for new states has intensified in recent months. Groups from several regions have renewed their demands, including a movement in Delta North pushing for the creation of Anioma State as part of the Southeast, and agitators in Oyo calling for the creation of Ibadan State. The Ibadan demand was recently presented directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the coronation of Oba Rashidi Ladoja as the 44th Olubadan, where the monarch himself reiterated the request.

Efforts to reach Dr. Innocent Mebiri, Clerk of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, for further comment were unsuccessful.