By Omowumi Omotosho
The House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review has put forward a proposal to establish 31 additional states in Nigeria, a move that could significantly reshape the country’s political landscape.
If approved, Nigeria would expand from its current 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to a total of 67 sub-national entities. This development marks one of the most ambitious state creation proposals in the nation’s history.
During Thursday’s plenary session, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who presided in the absence of Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, read a letter outlining the proposal. The document, presented before the lawmakers, detailed the justification for the new states and the next steps in the constitutional amendment process.
“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.
“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 fulfillment of state,” the proposal partly reads.
The proposal outlines the creation of several new states across Nigeria. From Kogi State, the suggested states include Okun, Okura, and Confluence. In Benue State, the proposed states are Benue Ala and Apa, while a new FCT State is also part of the plan. Adamawa is set to have Amana State, Bauchi would see the establishment of Katagum, and Borno could have Savannah State. Additionally, Muri State is proposed for Taraba.
In Kaduna, two new states—New Kaduna and Gujarat—are on the list. Kano may be divided to include Tiga and Ari, while Kebbi could gain Kainji State. The South East is also expected to expand with Etiti and Orashi as a sixth state in the region, along with Adada from Enugu, and Orlu and Aba as additional states.
Further proposals include Ogoja in Cross River, Warri in Delta, as well as Ori and Obolo from Rivers State. In the South West, Torumbe is proposed for Ondo, Ibadan for Oyo, and Lagoon for Lagos. Ogun State could see the emergence of Ogun and Ijebu, while Oke Ogun/Ijesha is proposed to span parts of Oyo, Ogun, and Osun States.
