FELIX NWANERI writes on the fresh demands for new states before the National Assembly despite the fact that the current state structure is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain amid dwindling revenue
Creation of new states in Nigeria is a tall order as procedures to be adopted by the National Assembly according to Section 8 (i) of the 1999 Constitution, states: “An Act of the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new state shall only be passed if (a) A request, supported by at least two-thirds majority of members (representing the area demanding the creation of the new state) in each of the following, namely (i) the Senate and the House of Representatives, (ii) The House of Assembly in respect of the area, and (iii) The local government councils in respect of the area, is received by the National Assembly.”
The same section further states that“(b) A proposal for the creation of the state is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area where the demand for creation of the state originated; (c) The result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of all the states of the federation supported by a simple majority of members of the Houses of Assembly; and (d) The proposal is approved by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.” Despite these tough conditions, Nigeria has continued to witness ceaseless demands for new states by the various ethnic nationalities that make up the country. Among the reasons that have been persistently advanced by proponents of new states include marginalization and imbalance in the federal structure.
The journey to Nigeria's present 36 state-structure commenced with the 1914 amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates by the British colonialists, but at independence in 1960, the country had three regions – Northern, Eastern and Western. However, creation of states would begin in 1967 under General Yakubu Gowon's regime. He dissolved the regions and created 12 states out of them. They are North-Western State, North-Eastern State, Kano State, North-Central State, BenuePlateau State, Kwara State, Western State, Lagos State, Mid-Western State, Rivers State, South-Eastern State and EastCentral State. The number of states jumped to 19 in 1976, when the then Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed, carved out seven new states from the existing 12.
They are Niger and Sokoto from North-Western State; Bauchi, Gongola and Borno from North Eastern State; Plateau and Benue from Benue-Plateau State; Ondo, Ogun and Oyo from Western State; Imo and Anambra from East Central State. Eleven years after (1987), the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida created two more new states – Akwa Ibom and Kastina – to bring the number of states to 21. Akwa Ibom was carved out of Cross River State, while Kastina was carved out of Kaduna State. Babangida created additional nine states in 1991 to take the number of states to 30.
The states are Adamawa and Taraba from Gongola; Enugu from Anambra, Edo and Delta from the then Bendel, Yobe from Borno, Jigawa from Kano, Kebbi from Sokoto and Osun from Oyo. The succeeding regime of General Sani Abacha, which acted on the recommendations of the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) on the need for more states, created six additional states on October 1, 1996. That brought the number of states in Nigeria to 36. The states are Ebonyi that was created from Abia and Enugu; Bayelsa from Rivers, Nasarawa from Plateau, Zamfara from Sokoto, Gombe from Bauch and Ekiti from Ondo.
Demand before 10th NASS
While there is no doubt that the current 36 state-structure has become increasingly difficult to maintain due to dwindling revenue, it has been unending demands for creation of new states since the last exercise by the Abacha regime 28 years ago. The issue has always been a top priority each time the National Assembly embarks on constitutional amendment under the present dispensation. As expected, it is again in the forefront as the 10th National Assembly embarks on another review of the constitution. Among demands before the Senate and House of Representatives are those for Etiti State, Orlu State, Adada State and Anioma State.
Interestingly, three of the proposed new states – Etiti, Orlu and Adada are being demanded the people of the South-East geopolitical zone whose quest for an additional state has been a recurring decimal premised on the belief that an additional state will bring them at par with other zones of the country. Even the demand for Anioma State is by the Igbo speaking people of Delta State, so it is equally seen as part of the clamour by Ndigbo. The South-East is the only geopolitical zone in Nigeria with five states; Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
The South-South, South-West, North Central and North-East have six states each, while the North-West has seven states. This, perhaps, informed why the Senate, last week, passed for first reading, bills seeking to create two additional states in the SouthEast to increase states in the zone to seven. This was as a bill, seeking the creation of Etiti State in the zone was read for the first time on the floor of the House of Representatives last week. Another bill seeking the creation of Orlu State out of Imo, Abia, and Anambra states passed first reading on June 6. The two states proposed separately by Senators Ned Nwoko (PDP, Delta North) and Okechukwu Ezea (LP, Enugu North) are Anioma and Adada states, respectively.
Nwoko's bill seeks to alter three sections of the 1999 Constitution, to delete the word 36 and replace it with the word 37 to accommodate the new state and to insert the word Anioma, immediately after Delta in the list of states contained in the Constitution. The proposed Anioma State would encompass the local government areas of Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Ika NorthEast, Ika South, Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, Oshimili North, Oshimili South, and Ukwuani, with Asaba designated as the state capital. Defending his bill, Nwoko said: “I am presenting a bill for the creation of Anioma State to correct this historical oversight. Anioma is composed of nine local government areas, six of which are rich in oil and gas resources.
The region also boasts significant human capital, making it a viable and sustainable candidate for statehood. Creating Anioma State is not just about increasing the number of states; it is about ensuring fair representation and resource allocation for the South East.” Senator Ezea, on his part, also seeks to amend Section 3(1) and the First Schedule, Part 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to provide for the creation of Adada State to bring the number of South-East states to six, so that the zone would be at par with the other geopolitical zones of the country.
In the House of Representatives, five members from the South-East, proposed the creation of Etiti State to be carved out of the present Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states. It will have 11 local government areas drawn from the five states with the capital to be located at Lokpanta. The sponsors of the bill are Amobi Ogah, Miriam Onuoha, Kama Nkemkama, Chinwe Nnabuife and Anayo Onwuegbu. They want an alteration ofsSection 36 of the 1999 Constitution, by replacing 36 states with 37 states. The bill also seeks to alter the listing of local government areas according to states and transfer the 11 local government areas from their current states to the proposed Etiti State.
The local government areas that will make up Etiti State if created are Isuikwuato and Umu-Nneochi (Abia), Orumba North and Orumba South (Anambra), Ivo and Ohaozara (Ebonyi), Aninri, Awgu and Oji River (Enugu) as well as Okigwe and Onuimo (Imo). The bill seeking the creation of Orlu State to be carved out of Imo, Abia, and Anambra states is sponsored by the lawmaker representing Ideato North/ Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere, and others. The bill also seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution by inserting a new paragraph, which will include 28 local government areas – Orlu, Orsu, Oru West, Oru East, Ideato North, Ideato South, Njaba, Nkwerre, Nwangele, Isu, Oguta, Ohaji Egbema, Onuimo, Ihiala, Uga, Ihiala, Uli, Ozubulu, Akokwa, Arondizuogu, Umuchu, Umunze, Umuaku, New Ideato North, Nwabosi West, Nwabosi East, Owerre Nkworji, Alaoma, Amaifeke, and Owerrebiri Umuowa.
Creating Anioma State is not just about increasing the number of states; it is about ensuring fair representation and resource allocation for the South East
South-East and demand for additional state Before now, there have campaigns by several groups in each of the five states of the South-East for the proposed new state to be created from their respective areas. In Abia State, it was demand for the creation of Aba State. Same goes for the people of Old Nsukka Division in Enugu State, who wanted Adada State. It was the same situation in Imo State, where there were demands for Orlu, Njaba and Orashi states by different groups.
Agitators of Aba State made up of Ukwa and Ngwa ethnic nationalities said similar demands were made in 1915 to the British Colonial Government, in 1954 as well as in 1980 and 1983 to both Houses of the National Assembly. They listed states which were marked for creation along with Aba State at the time to include, Adamawa, Jigawa, Katsina, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu. Similarly, those behind the Adada State project argue that of all the old provinces in the then Eastern Nigeria, Nsukka province remains the only one that has not been accorded a state status.
They also argue that theirs' remains the oldest outstanding state creation agitation in Igbo land, pointing out that their demand would have since come to fruition if not for the intervention by military in 1983 as the then National Assembly, had on March 16 of that year, moved a motion, calling for the creation of Adada State. In Imo State, a section of leaders in Imo West Senatorial District teamed up with their counterparts in Anambra South to push for the creation of Njaba State, while others demanded for Orlu and Orashi states, respectively. The proposed Njaba State, according to its promoters should be carved out of the 12 local government areas that make-up Imo West (Orlu Zone) of Imo State and Ihiala in Anambra State.
The local governments are Orlu, Orsu, Oru East, Oru West, Oguta, Ohaji/ Egbema, Nkwerre, Nwangele, Isu, Njaba, Ideato North and Ideato South. Advocates of Orlu State, however, wanted the 12 councils that make up Imo West Senatorial District (Orlu zone) to be accorded a state status. A similar demand was that of Orashi State. Its proponents, however, wanted some local government areas in Anambra and Rivers states to be added to the 12 local government areas that make up Orlu zone. They argued that the area is a virtual geographical autonomy of its own. Anim and Orimili are also part of the demands, and their agitators insist that since the then East Central State was split into Imo and Anambra states and from Imo; Abia was carved out, while Enugu was created from Anambra and out of the two (Enugu and Abia), Ebonyi later emerged, equity demands that the sixth state for the South-East be carved out of the present Imo and Anambra states.
Debate on state-structure
This is not the first time the National Assembly would be flooded with demands for new states during a constitution review process. It would be recalled that the number of memoranda submitted by various interest groups on state creation were more than 45 during a similar exercise by the Seventh Assembly in 2012. Thirty four of such memoranda then were intrastate demands, seven interstate, while four cut across geo-political zones. Many have attributed the increase in the number of agitations for new states to minority fears, quest for equity as well as desire for speedy development, while others say they are inspired by the same concerns that preceded state creations in the past. It would be recalled that it was against the backdrop of the process involved in state creation that delegates at the 2014 National Conference voted that the country's constitution should be amended to allow for a less onerous process.
The conference, which specifically approved the creation of an additional state for the South-East “in the spirit of reconciliation, equity and justice,” agreed that henceforth, state creation should be on the basis of parity between the geopolitical zones to ensure equality of zones. Such aspiration, according to the confab report, must be backed by the potential viability of the proposed state in terms of economic potential, human natural and material resources as well as minimum land and water mass. The report added that envisaged state must have cultural and historical antecedent, with strong cultural affinity amongst its population, while the component should be contiguous. In addition, the conference also adopted the recommendation that for any new state to be created such a new state must have a minimum population of one million persons.
However, there are members of a political school, who believe that besides minority fears, inequity and skewed development, quest for political empires and influence by the elite class are the major motivations for the persistent demands for more states. But whether the motivations for agitation for the new states are genuine or not, questions that have been asked over time are: Has creation of more states addressed the fears of minorities and the feelings of marginalisation and domination? Has it resulted to good governance and speedy development at the sub-national level? If states are meant to bring governance closer
“Ndigbo have lost trillions of naira as a result of the disparity in state and local government creation, which was done by military fiat.
to the people, what is the essence of local government areas? While satisfactory answers are yet to be provided for these questions over the quest for new states, there is also a raging debate over the propriety or otherwise of the 36 state-structure as against a return to regionalism on the basis of the six geopolitical zones given that global trend is aggressively moving towards contraction of size of government and cost of governance. This is as most of the existing states are said to be insolvent.
The belief in most quarters is that without the monthly disbursement from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), most of the states will not survive as their respective Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) practically amounts to nothing. .It is against this backdrop that those who believe that the idea for additional states be jettisoned, even called for a reduction in the number of the existing ones. According to them, Nigeria cannot attain development by high recurrent expenditure and reduced capital expenditure it has continued to experience as a result of proliferation of states.
Stakeholders' views
The incumbent PresidentGeneral of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who has repeatedly called for additional state for the South-East is of the view that “Ndigbo have lost trillions of naira as a result of the disparity in state and local government creation, which was done by military fiat.” Iwuanyanwu, who said at a time that the apex Igbo body is not happy with the 1999 Constitution (as amended), disclosed that the people of the SouthEast will not hesitate to take a legal action against the Federal Government if it failed to give the region an additional state. “We are assembling Igbo lawyers to pursue it,” he said, adding that they will allow the state to be created anywhere in Igbo land. The disclosure that Ohanaeze will allow the state to be created anywhere in Igbo land, addresses the fears of concurrence on the issue given the campaigns by several groups in each of the five states of the zone over the years for the proposed new state to be created from their respective areas.
The belief is that the South-East must harmonise the various states demand on the basis of cultural homogeneity and affinity of the area where the new state would be carved out from, so that Ndigbo will not fritter the opportunity given the cacophony of voices on the issue. This, perhaps, explained the position of the member representing Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency of Anambra State, Peter Uzokwe that Ugochinyere did not consult the caucus before introducing the bill seeking the creation of Orlu State. His words: “What my colleague did was to take the Imo map and the Anambra map and start carving out places as it pleases him. He did it just to embarrass me because this is my local government. Could he have done that to Nnewi? He dare not. “I would have loved him to carve out Nnewi. State creation is a permanent thing that can bring war and border issues.
Tomorrow, you will hear that Igbos are killing themselves because they don't have blood ties.” However, an Igbo youth group, Ohaneze Youth Council (OYC), which urged proponents of state creation to support the creation of Anioma State, said it would bring zonal equity and address the deplorable issues of marginalization of the South-East. National President of the Council, Comrade Igboayaka O Igboayaka, who made the assertion, emphasized that the creation of Anioma State, considering its dynamics as ethnocultural topology is a blue print and anti-dote for the settlement of ethnic crisis in Edo and Delta States respectively.
His words: “It's reasonable, logical and a peaceful political dovetail to cede parts of Ndoni people in Rivers state, that link to Ukwuani axis of Delta State and the following communities in Edo State such as Idumodin, Ottah, Ute – Oheze, Ugo, Igbanke, Iru egbede, Evbobanosa, Oza, Ogan, Oheze, Idumiru, including the whole Delta North Senatorial District to form the new state called Anioma State. “It falls within the principle of geopolitical creation in Nigeria that the proposed component of Anioma State has the same ethnic groups and same political history with other states in the south-east We call on progressive Igbo political leaders of various facets including the traditional rulers to rally round in support of the creation of Anioma State. We appeal to our brothers from the North, Middl Belt, South-West and South-South to see the creation of Anioma State as a regional political balance and national equity.”
Another group, The Traditional Rulers Forum (TRF), Anioma, Delta State, which also supported the bill seeking the creation of Anioma State, in a five-point communiqué issued at the end of their recent interactive session with Senator Nwoko, urged the lawmaker to widen the scope of interaction and consultation, particularly with critical stakeholders, to accommodate all shades of opinion in the pursuit of set goals. The arguments for and against the creation of new states, notwithstanding, whether the President Bola Tinubu -led Federal Government will yield to demands of the agitators of the new states in the face of dwindling revenue fortune of Nigeria would be determined in the days ahead when both chambers of the National Assembly led by Senator Godswill Akpabio (Senate) and Hon. Tajudeen Abbas (House of Representatives) conclude their assignment on constitution amendment.
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