THE clamour for the creation of additional states in Nigeria re-echoed recently when the House of Representatives member, Mr. Oluwole Oke, representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency of Osun State, made a case for the creation of three more states from the South-West Region.
The bill sponsored by Hon. Oke, chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary,
proposed the creation of Oke-Ogun, Ijebu and Ife-Ijesa states. If the bill sails through, it will bring the number of states in the region to nine, making it the highest in the country.
In a similar vein, the apex Igbo cultural body, Ohaneze Ndigbo, has threatened to sue the Nigerian government over its failure to create an additional state for the South-East region, which the zone had been clamouring for decades.
The Ohaneze President, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, said it smacked of injustice for the region to be the only one in the country with only five states in the country. He argued that it had cost the region billions of naira in financial losses in ministerial appointments and legislative representatives.
Other regions have made similar requests for new states. State creation has been a controversial subject in Nigerian politics for a long time. Agitations for new states
have continued to resonate since May, 1967 when General Yakubu Gowon, dissolved the four Nigerian regions into twelve states purportedly to check General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu’s secession bid to create Biafra out of the former Eastern Region.
Almost all military leaders after Gowon had given the country additional
states. In all, Nigeria has a total of 36 states, which are unevenly distributed among the six geo-political zones. The North- West region has the lion share of seven states. With the exception of the South-East region, which has only five states, the other zones have six states, respectively.
The creation of new states in the past has contributed to the rapid development
of new state capitals and local governments in the respective states. It has created a
semblance of inclusivity from groups that hitherto felt marginalised in the scheme of
things. It has also led to the creation of more job opportunities for citizens of the new
states and increase in commercial activities, as new businesses spring up to take care
of the demands of upgraded urban centres and emerging municipalities.
However, there is need for caution in the creation of states. The proliferation of
states based on political considerations alone is not healthy. The creation of one or
two new states based on equality and merit should, rather, be looked into. Experience
has shown that similar exercises in the past led to increase in the cost of governance
nationwide. One compelling argument against the creation of new states is the nonviability
of the states. With the exception of a few states with improved IGRs, most
states in Nigeria cannot sustain themselves without the monthly allocations from the
federation account. Creating new states that will depend on Abuja for sustenance is
not feasible.
Statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in 2022 revealed
that the internally generated revenues of most states in Nigeria were dismal.
While Lagos, Rivers, FCT and Ogun lead the rest with IGR base of N651.2billion,
N172.8billion, N124.4billion and N120.6billion respectively, states like Nasarawa,
Borno, Kogi, Ekiti, and Niger posted unflattering figures of N19.3billion, N19.1billion,
N18.2billion,N17billion and N16.9billion, respectively. The poor revenue profile will
likely encourage a parasitic relationship with the government at the centre.
Amid the clamour for the creation of more states, it is pertinent for the government
to revisit the recommendations of the 2014 national conference with a view to implementing
them. The National Conference recommended the creation of additional 18
states – three for each zone, in addition to one extra state for the South-East, to close
the gap with other zones in the country. Without mincing words, the South-East is the
only zone that needs additional state for balancing. Therefore, the call for the creation
of three additional states for one region alone is not feasible.
It is worth pointing out that those agitating for the creation of new states must be
realistic enough and consider their economic viability. The unending clamour for the
creation of new states is an indication that the country should be urgently restructured.