The Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review has reportedly proposed the creation of six additional states across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
According to The Nation newspaper, the proposal emerged as one of the key resolutions from a two-day retreat held in Lagos, co-chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu.
During the retreat, the joint committee reviewed 69 bills, including 55 requests for new states, two for boundary adjustments, and 278 for the creation of new local government areas. After extensive deliberations, members of the committee reportedly reached a unanimous decision in favour of creating six new states.
If approved, Nigeria’s number of states would rise from 36 to 42, with one new state emerging from each of the six geopolitical zones — North-West, North-East, North-Central, South-West, South-South, and South-East. The adjustment would result in the South-South having seven states; the South-West, seven; the South-East, six; the North-West, eight; the North-East, seven; and the North-Central, seven.
The committee’s resolution will be included in its final report, expected to be presented to both chambers of the National Assembly in the first week of November.
A principal officer of the committee confirmed that the decision enjoyed unanimous backing from lawmakers in both chambers, describing it as a step toward promoting fairness and equity in the federation.
To guide the process, a sub-committee has been established to determine the specific areas from which the six proposed states will be carved out. The Senate Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, has been appointed to chair the Senate arm of the sub-committee.
A member of the sub-committee representing the North-West zone said the team would carefully examine all 55 state creation requests before making its recommendations. “We will meticulously review the 55 requests for state creation to determine where the six new states will be carved from. We intend to be fair and just to all parties involved,” the member said.
