House of Reps committee proposes 31 new states, including Lagoon, Ijebu, New Kaduna

• The House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review has suggested creating 31 new states
• The process must comply with Section 8 of the Nigerian Constitution, which requires a referendum and National Assembly approval
• The proposed new states include Lagoon, Ijebu, Oke-Ogun, New Kaduna, and 27 others

The House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review has proposed the creation of 31 new states in Nigeria. 

If approved, the total number of states in the country will increase from 36 to 67.

The proposal for new states was contained in a letter read during Thursday’s plenary session by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the session in the absence of the Speaker, Mr Tajudeen Abbas.

The committee, chaired by Kalu, outlined the new states across the six geopolitical zones: six for North Central, four for North East, five for North West, five for South East, four for South-South, and seven for South West.

The letter read in part, “The committee proposes the creation of 31 new states. As amended, this section outlines specific requirements that must be fulfilled to initiate the process of state creation, which include the following:

1. New state and boundaries

“An act of the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new state shall only be passed if it requires support by at least the third majority of members.

2. The House of Representatives, the House of Assembly in respect of the area, and the Local Government Council in respect of the area are received by the National Assembly.

“Local government advocates for the creation of additional local government areas are only reminded that Section 8 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, applies to this process.

“Specifically, in accordance with Section 8 (3) of the Constitution, the outcome of the votes of the State Houses of Assembly in the referendum must be forwarded to the National Assembly for fulfilment of state demands.

“Proposals shall be resubmitted in strict adherence to the stipulations. Submit three hard copies of the full proposal of the memoranda to the Secretariat of the Committee at Room H331, House of Representatives, White House, National Assembly Complex, and Abuja.

“Sub-copies must also be sent electronically to the Committee’s email address at info.hccr.gov.nj. For further information or contact, please contact the Committee Clerk at 08069-232381.

“The committee remains committed to supporting the implementation efforts that align with the Constitutional provisions and would only consider proposals that comply with the stipulated guidelines. This is coming from the Clerk of the Committee on Constitutional Review.”

The committee emphasised that all proposals must strictly adhere to constitutional provisions. 

Memoranda must be submitted both in hard copy at the National Assembly Complex and electronically via email.

List of proposed new states

The proposed states include:

• North Central: Okun, Okura, Confluence (from Kogi); Benue Ala, Apa (from Benue); FCT State.
• North East: Amana (from Adamawa); Katagum (from Bauchi); Savannah (from Borno); Muri (from Taraba).
• North West: New Kaduna, Gurara (from Kaduna); Tiga, Ari (from Kano); Kainji (from Kebbi).
• South East: Etiti, Adada (from Enugu); Orlu, Aba (from Imo and Abia); Orashi.
• South-South: Ogoja (from Cross River); Warri (from Delta); Ori, Obolo (from Rivers).
• South West: Torumbe (from Ondo); Ibadan (from Oyo); Lagoon (from Lagos); Ogun, Ijebu (from Ogun); Oke Ogun/Ijesha (from Oyo/Ogun/Osun).

The committee reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that all state creation proposals align with constitutional guidelines.

Reps push for establishment of Bola Tinubu University

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the House of Representatives in Nigeria had taken a significant step towards establishing a new higher institution, the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Federal University of Nigerian Languages. 

The university, once established, would focus on promoting the learning and development of Nigerian languages and cultures.

According to the bill's provisions, the university aims to advance learning and offer equal educational opportunities to all, regardless of race, creed, sex, or political affiliation.