Constitution review: Middle Belt Congress seeks additional 19 states, abolition of local councils

Ahead of the proposed amendment of the 1999 Constitution by the Senate ad-hoc committee led by Senator Ovie Omo Agege, the Middle Belt Congress has submitted a memorandum to the Committee.

Investigation revealed that the MBC is seeking for the creation of an additional 19 states in the country to make the total number of states to 55.

The 55 states would, however, be subordinated to 12 Provinces which the MBC envisaged would serve as the new federating units.

The new 55 states according to the MBC proposal would supervise new municipalities to serve as the third tier of government as they demanded the abolition of the 774 local councils in the existing 1999 Constitution.

Tribune Online checks further revealed that aside from the MBC, 49 other groups have since submitted memoranda to the Constitution Review Committee.

The MBC memorandum reads in part: “That there shall be only two tiers of government in Nigeria – the Federal Government and the federating units as sub-national Governments.

“Local Governments councils should no longer function as the third tier of government but as administrative units of the sub-national governments.

“The former LGs should be renamed ‘Councils’ or ‘Municipalities’ or ‘Development Areas’ or ‘Burroughs’ or any other names Nigerians might prefer.

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” That there shall be twelve (12) federating units in Nigeria to be called Provinces comprising of the States written against their name as follows;
(1) North-West Province shall comprise Sokoto, Kebbi, and the Zamfara States.
(2) North-Central Province shall comprise Kaduna and Katsina States.
(3) North-North Province shall comprise Kano, Jigawa and Ghari States.
(4) North-East Province shall comprise Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, Amana, Savannah, and Katagum States.
(5) Middle-Belt West Province shall comprise Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Edu and Kainji States.
(6) Middle-Belt East Province shall comprise Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Taraba, Gurara and Apa
States.
(7) Western Province shall comprise Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Ose, Okun and New Oyo States.
(8) South-West Province shall comprise Lagos, Ogun, and Ijebu States.

“Others are
(9) Mid-West Province shall comprise Delta, Edo and Anioma States.
(10) Niger Delta Province shall comprise Rivers, Bayelsa and Oil River States.
(11) South-East Province shall comprise Anambra, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Aba, Adada, Njaba and Etiti States.
(12) South-South Province shall comprise Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Ogoja States”.

Specifically, the 19 new states proposed by the group are ÷1. Aba State from Abia State
2. Adada State from Enugu State
3. Amana State from Adamawa State
4. Anioma State from Delta State
5. Apa State from Benue State
6. Edu State from Niger State
7. Ekiti State from South-East Geopolitical Zone
8. Ghari State from Kano State and
(9.) Gurara State from Kaduna State.

Others are
(10. Ijebu State from Ogun State
11. Kainji State from Kebbi and Niger States
12. Katagum State from Jigawa State
13. New Oyo State from the Oyo State State
14. Njaba-Anim State from Anambra and Imo States
15. Ogoja State from Cross River State
16. Oil River State from Rivers State
17. Okun State from Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara and Kogi States and (18) Ose State from Edo State”.

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