State Creation: No request has met constitutional requirements, says Reps Deputy Speaker

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Benjamin Kalu has again said that none of the 31 requests for state creation has met the constitutional requirements for the exercise

Kalu disclosed this during a two-day retreat for members of the Committee in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State on Friday.

The retreat serves as a platform for reviewing pending amendment bills and strategizing on the next steps in the constitutional review process.

Speaking on the importance of state creation in Nigeria’s governance discourse, Kalu noted that while the demands reflected the aspirations of various communities, they fell short of the legal criteria necessary for consideration.

He said in response, the committee extended the deadline for submissions to March 5, 2025, to allow for further input and possible revisions.

He said if need be, it can be extended further depending on the outcome of the retreat.

He said the House Committee is currently reviewing 151 constitutional amendment bills, reflecting lawmakers’ collective effort to refine governance in Nigeria.

While some bills have progressed to the second reading, others remain at the first stage, he said.

“Although we have received 31 requests for state creation, none of these requests met the constitutional requirements for amendment.

“Therefore, we have since extended the submission date to 5th of March, 2025. But this retreat could in our resolution extend it further if we find out that there are still challenges that the people we represent in their efforts to make their voices heard.

“So at the end of this retreat, it will be one of the things we will look into, whether or not we will extend the time. But let it be a notice that none of the applications followed the conditions laid out by Section 8 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Kalu said.

Kalu highlighted a major challenge in the review process which is duplication.

He said some bills addressed similar issues under different sponsors, while others overlapped in subject matter.

To streamline efforts and eliminate redundancy, he said the committee categorized the bills into thematic areas.

The thematic areas are Federal Structure and Power Devolution, Local Government Autonomy, Public Revenue, Fiscal Federation, and Revenue Allocation, Nigerian Police and Security Architecture, Comprehensive Judicial Reforms, Electoral Reforms, Gender Issues and Human Rights as well as state creation.

Kalu said the categorization would help lawmakers prioritize amendments based on national interest and legislative relevance.

He said the committee invited the leadership of both the House and Senate Committees on Electoral Matters to the retreat.

Kalu emphasized that any proposed changes to the Electoral Act requiring constitutional alterations must pass through the Committee.

“A proactive, cooperative approach will ensure seamless legislative processes and comprehensive legal reforms,” he said.

As part of the next phase of the constitutional review, he said the committee has scheduled Zonal and National Public Hearings across the six geopolitical zones.

These hearings, be said, will provide an avenue for Nigerians to contribute to the amendment process.

The hearings are set to take place in the North Central (Nasarawa and Niger States), North East (Borno and Gombe States), North West (Kaduna and Sokoto States), South East (Enugu and Imo States), South South (Bayelsa and Cross River States), and the South West (Lagos and Ondo States).

Kalu urged lawmakers to engage with these bills diligently and objectively to ensure that the final amendments reflect the will of the Nigerian people.

“As legislators, we must ensure the voices of Nigerians are reflected in our constitutional reforms,” he said.

Kalu promised a renewed commitment to a transparent and inclusive constitutional review process.

He expressed confidence that the committee’s deliberations would strengthen Nigeria’s democracy and governance structure.

By Tony Akowe