Shehu Sani Labels Proposal for 31 New States, ‘Comical’ and Politically Motivated
A former senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has expressed his disagreement with the proposal to create 31 additional states on top of the existing 36 states in Nigeria.
Earlier reports suggested that a Constitution Review Committee of the House of Representatives had put forth a proposal for the creation of an additional 31 states in Nigeria.
The proposal was contained in a letter to the House of Representatives read during Thursday’s plenary by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the session in the absence of the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.
Taking to his X page on Friday, Shehu Sani was quick to condemn the proposal for the creation of 31 additional states, lambasting it as an “ironic” and “comical” effort by politicians to establish “mini colonies” for their own self-interest.
Asserting that the nation does not require any additional states, former lawmaker Shehu Sani cited the current reliance of numerous states on the federal government for their survival as evidence that the creation of new states would do little to alleviate the financial struggles of existing ones.
He said, “While many states are dependent on federal allocation for their survival, the House of Representatives proposal for 31 states is ironic and comical. Politicians just want to carve out mini colonies for themselves.”
The Constitution Review Committee, chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, proposed the creation of 31 new states across Nigeria, with six in the North-Central, four in the North-East, five in the North-West, five in the South-South, and seven in the South-West.
The states being considered include Okun, Okura and Confluence from Kogi; Benue Ala and Apa from Benue; FCT State; Amana from Adamawa; Katagum from Bauchi; Savannah from Borno; Muri from Taraba; New Kaduna and Gujarat from Kaduna State; Tiga and Ari from Kano; Kainji from Kebbi; Etiti and Orashi as the sixth states in the South-East; Adada from Enugu; and Orlu and Aba.
Others include Ogoja from Cross River, Warri from Delta, Ori and Obolo from Rivers, Torumbe from Ondo, Ibadan from Oyo, Lagoon from Lagos, and Ogun, Ijebu from Ogun, and Oke Ogun/Ijesha from Oyo/Ogun/Osun States.
