A bill seeking to create a new State to be called Ogoja State from Cross River State in the South-South geopolitical zone has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives.
The proposed legislation, which is co-sponsored by Godwin Offiono, representing Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency in Cross River State, and three others โ scaled second reading during plenary on Thursday.
The lawmakers are proposing to alter the 1999 constitution to create Ogoja State.
When the bill was put to vote, it was vetoed by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, who referred it to the committee on constitutional review.
No state has been created since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, given the constitutional hurdles.
The last time states were created was in 1996 when the late Gen Sani Abacha through the recommendations of the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) created six more states, on October 1, 1996, to the existing 30.
NewsNGR reports that the last six newly created states in 1996 were Ebonyi states, which was created from parts of Abia and Enugu for the South-East; Bayelsa State was carved out from Rivers for the South-South, and Ekiti State, created from Ondo State for the South-West.
Also, Nasarawa State was created from Plateau for North-Central, Zamfara State was created from Sokoto for North-West and Gombe State was carved out from Bauchi for North-East, bringing the states to 36 and the Federal Capital Territory.
The constitution makes it very difficult for a state to be created democratically. No democratically elected president has created a state in Nigeria.
While the National Assembly is amending the 1999 Constitution with a completion date set for December 25, according to Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, amending the Constitution to create a new state or adjust boundaries is an arduous task.
The 1999 constitution provides in Section 8(1) that a new state can only be created if it is supported by โat least two-thirds majority of members (representing the area demanding the creation of the new state) in each of the following, namely โ โ(i) the Senate and the House of Representatives. (ii) the House of Assembly in respect of the areaโ.
โ(iii) And the local government councils in respect of the area is received by the National Assembly; (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 the creation of the state originated.
โ(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.
โ(d) The proposal is approved by a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.โ
Apart from Ogoja State, which is the last seeking its creation in the current assembly, there are over eight other bills seeking creation, such as Orlu State (South-East), Oke-Ogun, Ijebu, and Ife-Ijesa states (South-West) and others.
In the 9th assembly, 20 bills for the creation of 20 states were before the National Assembly. The states to be created were ITAI State (from Akwa Ibom State), State status for the FCT, Katagum State from Bauchi State, Okura State from Kogi East, Adada State from Enugu State and Gurara State from Kaduna South.
Others were Ijebu State from Ogun State, Ibadan State from Oyo State, Tiga State from Kano State, Ghari State from Kano State, Amana State from Adamawa, Gongola State from Adamawa, Mambilla State from Taraba State, Savannah State from Borno State, Okun state from Kogi State and Ekiti State from the South East Zone.
The rest are Orashi State from Imo and Anambra states, Njaba from the present Imo State, Excision of Aba State from Abia State, Anioma State from Delta State, Torogbene and Oil River States, from Bayelsa Delta and Rivers states, and Bayajida State from parts of Katsina, Jigawa, and Zamfara states.