Adebayo Adenrele
The Spokesman of the 10th National Assembly, Senator Yemi Adaramodu said the red chamber has received about 61 proposals across the six geopolitical zones in the country for state creation, adding that none has passed legislative process.
Recall that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, earlier confirmed 42 proposals in July, but has now increased by additional 19 requests.
Adaramodu, representing Ekiti South Senatorial District described state creation as a complex matter that requires auditing demographic, geographic and historical data, followed by a comprehensive public hearing for scrutiny.
Addressing journalists over the weekend in Ado-Ekiti, the Lawmaker disclosed the stance of the Senate, saying the red chamber has no constitutional rights to unilaterally create states, as it will be considered during a constitutional review process with Nigerians and other interested critical stakeholders.
He added that the Senate cannot also recommend any state for creation until all factors have been put into consideration before its emergence after the upcoming public hearing after the parliamentary recess.
His words, “The stance of the Senate has always been unique, constitutional and legislative. First, the Senate cannot unilaterally create states; such requests must be considered during a constitutional review process. In such cases, Nigerians and other critical stakeholders will express their interests, which often range from local government autonomy to state creation and even the creation of more local governments. There is also the validation of new Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) created by various state governments, such as Lagos State and my own state in Ekiti.
“So far, the Senate has received about 61 requests for state creation. During our interactions with constituents from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, these demands and requests were formally submitted. As we have stated, all of these will still be reviewed and examined. We will collate them, after which the Constitutional Review Committee, headed by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, in the 10th Senate, will aggregate, assess and filter them before preparing a report to the Senate.
“Once that report is ready, the Senate, in conjunction with the House of Representatives, will hold a comprehensive public hearing. This hearing will allow all stakeholders those who submitted requests and those opposed to them to present their arguments. After then, the two chambers will now sit together in concurrent to pick which request is genuine.
“State creation is a serious matter that requires auditing demographic, geographic and historical data. In some cases, even elements within the requesting states do not fully support the proposals. All these factors must be considered. Until then, the National Assembly not just the Senate cannot recommend any state for creation.
“As it stands, no state has been recommended or suggested for creation. We are not yet certain of the final reports, results or aggregated public views, which will only emerge after the upcoming public hearing when we resume”.
