The National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitution Review has approved the creation of an additional state in Nigeria’s South-East region to ensure equity among the country’s six geo-political zones.
The Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review has approved the creation of an additional state in Nigeria’s South-East geo-political zone.
A statement by the committee’s media unit on Saturday said the decision was reached at a two-day retreat in Lagos, where lawmakers reviewed 55 proposals for state creation across the country.
The session, chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and co-chaired by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, resolved that creating a new state for the South-East would promote fairness and equity among the six geo-political zones.
Kalu, who has long advocated for an additional state for the region, said the move would give the people a sense of belonging. When created, the South-East will have six states, equal to other zones except the North-West, which has seven.
The committee also set up a sub-committee to review 278 additional proposals for new states and local government areas nationwide.
Jibrin urged lawmakers to build consensus ahead of the voting phase, saying, “We need to strengthen what we have started so that all parts of the country will key into this process.”