Nigeria may soon have six new states as the joint committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives on the review of the 1999 Constitution has approved a proposal for their creation.
The decision was reached at the end of a two-day retreat held in Lagos, which was co-chaired by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
The committee, which has been working on the constitutional review for over two years, said it carefully considered a total of 69 bills, including 55 requests for new states, two for boundary adjustments, and 278 for new local government areas.
After intense deliberations, the committee unanimously agreed that six new states should be created—one from each of the six geopolitical zones of the country. If implemented, this would increase the number of states from 36 to 42.
Senator Barau Jibrin, who spoke at the end of the retreat, explained that the decision followed wide consultations with Nigerians from different backgrounds.
“We have been in this process for the past two years, engaging our constituents, critical stakeholders, institutions, civil society organisations, and interest groups in town hall meetings, interactive sessions and public hearings,” he said.
According to him, the committee gathered and reviewed various opinions before reaching its conclusions on state creation and other constitutional matters.
“We have harvested and synthesised the views and perspectives of Nigerians, and what we have today is the product of those engagements,” he added.
If the recommendation sails through the full National Assembly and receives presidential assent, the country’s state structure will change significantly. Under the proposal, the South South zone will have seven states instead of six, the South West will have seven, the South East six, the North West eight, the North East seven, and the North Central seven.
This move, according to the lawmakers, is aimed at promoting equity, ensuring fair representation, and bringing government closer to the people in all parts of the country.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu also stressed that the committee’s work was guided by the desire to strengthen Nigeria’s unity through balanced development and inclusion.
He said the retreat was part of the committee’s effort to ensure that every section of the country is fairly represented in the final decisions on constitutional reform.
“The creation of new states has always been a sensitive issue in Nigeria. But what we have done is to listen to the yearnings of the people and provide recommendations that reflect fairness and justice,” Kalu stated.
The joint committee’s report will now be presented to the leadership of the National Assembly for further consideration. From there, the recommendations could proceed to the full Senate and House of Representatives for debate and possible adoption.
Under Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution, the creation of new states requires the approval of two-thirds of members of the National Assembly, two-thirds of state assemblies, and the President’s assent. It is, therefore, a long process that would involve extensive consultations and negotiations.
