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All political leaders agree that, in the interest of equity, the Southeast deserves the creation of one or two additional states. It is the only geo-political zone that has only five states. The Northwest has seven, Northeast six, Northcentral six, Southsouth six and Southwest six. Yet, the Igbo constitute the third leg of the Nigerian ethnic tripod.
Until recently, the front runner in the race for an additional state in the East was Adada State that has the support of all the people and leaders of Enugu North senatorial district. But, the agitation for creation of Njaba State received a boost with the coming together of all Orlu leaders, including the former governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa, in conjunction with the promoters of Urashi Sate forming a common front for the creation of one extra state for the South East Zone.
To give fillip to the effort, a conference was recently held at the country home of Chief Achike Udenwa where the stakeholders decided to close rank in order to realise the tall ambition. The group called on the National Assembly to make haste in creation of the state which would make home for fairness and equity in the country.
Chairman of the publicity committee, Chief Samuel Ukadike, told reporters that the request became necessary because the people believe that they have met all the constitutional requirements to have a state of their own, being the only old district left without the status of a state.
He stressed that the proposed Njaba State comprises 12 local government areas from the present Imo State and one local government, Ihiala in the present Anambra state. The local governments are Orlu, Orsu, Oru East, Oru West, Oguta, Ohaji/Egbema, Nkwerre, Nwangele, Isu, Njaba, Ideato North and Ideato South. These local governments make up Orlu Senatorial District in Imo state.
Chief Ukadike appealed to the members of the National Assembly and the Nigerian people to give the South East the sixth state it deserves in order to meet up with the rest of the other geo-political zones in the country. He stated that the people from the proposed Njaba State are ready to conduct a plebiscite to determine whether they are ready for the proposed state of not.
“The meeting was to re-awaken the agitation for the creation of Njaba State. We have met all the statutory requirements that are needed by the Constitution to enable Njaba State created. The demand for the creation of the proposed state is still very fresh in our minds. The population of the area is over 2.4 million people and these people have the same culture and homogeneity”, he said.
He called on their brothers from Imo and Anambra States to support the agitation for the creation of Njaba State to add to the five states already in the South East and meet up with the other geo-political zones.
“It is only the Southeast that is short changed in the equation of states in the country. We are demanding the sixth state for equity, fair-play, justice and balance of equal representation. We are appealing to the National Assembly to create the Njaba State as the only one that had met all the Constitutional requirements and to balance the equation in the geo-political zone”, he stated.
Creation of new states under the 1999 Constitution is a tall order. Section 8 of the supreme law of the country spells out the procedure to be adopted by the National Assembly in increasing the number of states.
8 (i) An Act of the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new state shall only be passed if –
(a) A request, supported by at least two-thirds majority of members (representing the area demanding the creation of the new state) in each of the following, namely – (i) the Senate and the House of Representatives, (ii) The House of Assembly in respect of the area, and (iii) 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 creation of the state originated;
(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; and
(d) The proposal is approved by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.
The pledge by leaders of the National Assembly, notably Senate President David Mark and House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, has reopened the floodgates of request for creation of states. Some appear credible, like the demand for an additional state from the Southeast, while others are ludicrous and laughable.
No zone is left out, including the Northwest that already has seven. Some of the requests include Ibadan, Oke Ogun and New Oyo from Oyo State, Ijebu-Remo from Ogun, Apa from Benue, Okun and Confluence from Kogi, Edu from Kwara, Kogi and Niger and Borgu from Niger.
Others are Oluwa from Lagos State, Oduduwa and Ijesa from Osun, Ogoja from Cross River, Urhobo from Delta, Toru-Ebe from Delta, Edo and Ondo, Southern Kaduna from Kaduna among many others.
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