- The House of Representatives has given an update on the requests to create 31 new states across the country
- Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker said no state creation request meets constitutional requirements
- According to Kalu, the committee has extended the submission date to Wednesday, March 5th, 2025
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 7 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international events
Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom state - Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives said none of the 31 requests for state creation met the constitutional requirements.
Legit.ng recalls that a committee in the House of Representatives received proposals for the creation of 31 new states in Nigeria.
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According to the letter, the North Central has 5, the North East has 4, the North West has 5, the South East has 5, the South South has 4, and the South West has 7.
Kalu disclosed that the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has extended the submission date to the 5th of March, 2025.
The committee chairman made this known on Friday, February 21, 2025, at a two-day retreat in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.
As reported by The Punch, the event was organised with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre and supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.
The event aims to review amendment bills and strategise on the next steps in the constitutional review process.
No state creation request meets constitutional requirements
“Although we have received 31 requests for state creation, none of these requests met the constitutional requirements for amendment.
“Therefore, we have since extended the submission date to the 5th of March, 2025. But this retreat could in our resolution extend it further if we find out that there are still challenges that the people we represent in their efforts to make their voices heard.”
“So at the end of this retreat, it will be one of the things we will look into, whether or not we will extend the time. But let it be a notice that none of the applications followed the conditions laid out by Section 8 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,”
Legit.ng earlier reported that the National Assembly's recent moves to create new states in the country may be the wrong step for Nigeria in the face of economic challenges.
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Titilope Anifowoshe, a legal practitioner, in an interview with Legit.ng, posited that some states in Nigeria could not generate internal revenue and creating other states could mount more pressure on the federal government.
Anifowoshe then suggested that a new and working local government would bring government nearer to the people than creating new states.
Full list: How 36 Nigerian states were created
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives recently begun the debate to create new states in Nigeria.
Historically, all the states created in Nigeria were founded during the military regime, and it would be a success for the 10th National Assembly if it created one.
The list of the states created by the military has been compiled, including their years of establishment and how they were created.
