Nigeria’s National Assembly Committee on Constitution Review has approved the creation of an additional state in the South-East region, a move seen as a step toward addressing years of political and structural imbalance in the country.
The joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives reached the unanimous decision during a two-day retreat held in Lagos on Saturday.
Lawmakers reviewed more than 55 proposals for new states across the country before agreeing that fairness demanded an additional state for the South-East.
Currently, the South-East remains the only geo-political zone with five states Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo while others have six or seven.
The creation of a new state will bring the region on par with the South-South, South-West, North-Central, and North-East, which all have six states. The North-West currently leads with seven.
The session was chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and co-chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu. Both lawmakers emphasized that the decision was driven by equity and national unity.
Kalu, who has been one of the strongest voices for the South-East in the National Assembly, said a new state would finally give the people of the region a fair sense of belonging.
He noted that the imbalance has long been a source of frustration among citizens and political leaders in the area.
A statement released by the committee’s media unit confirmed that members voted unanimously in support of the motion for the new state.
The motion was moved by Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) and seconded by Hon. Ibrahim Isiaka (Ifo/Ewekoro, Ogun State) before being adopted without opposition.
In addition to this, the committee also set up a sub-committee to review 278 separate proposals for state and local government creation across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.
The sub-committee is expected to submit its findings before the next constitutional amendment stage.
Deputy Senate President Jibrin called on all legislators to rally support among colleagues in both the National Assembly and state houses of assembly to ensure the proposal passes when it comes up for voting.
“We must strengthen what we have started so that all parts of the country will key into this process,” Jibrin said.
“By the time we reach voting, every stakeholder should already understand the purpose and benefit of this decision.”
If approved, this development will mark the first successful state creation in Nigeria since 1996, when former military ruler General Sani Abacha created six new states.
