The National Assembly has begun deliberations on sweeping constitutional amendments that could lead to the creation of 55 new states and 278 additional local government areas across Nigeria.
Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), disclosed this on Friday during a two-day joint retreat of the Senate and House of Representatives’ Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution held in Lagos.
Jibrin, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, reiterated the legislature’s commitment to delivering “people-centred and timely” amendments to the nation’s constitution. According to a statement by his spokesman, Ismail Mudashir, he emphasized that lawmakers were determined to send the first set of amendments to state Houses of Assembly before the end of the year.
“It has been a long journey to bring the Senate and the House of Representatives’ Constitution Amendment proposals that cut across several sections and deal with different subject matters,” Jibrin said. “We have been in this process for the past two years, engaging our constituents, critical stakeholders, institutions, civil society organizations and interest groups in town hall meetings, interactive sessions and public hearings, harvesting and synthesizing views and perspectives which has ultimately culminated to what we have here today 69 bills, 55 state creation requests, two boundary adjustments and 278 local government creation requests.”
He further noted that committee members are expected to review the proposals and make recommendations to both chambers, expressing confidence that progress could be made within the two-day session.
“It is not going to be a simple task to achieve within two days, but I believe we can do it, especially as we have promised Nigerians that we will deliver the first set of amendments to the State Houses of Assembly before the end of this year,” he added.
Calling for unity and patriotism among members, Jibrin urged participants to avoid divisive tendencies during deliberations.
“We are seated here as one committee. There should be no ‘we’ and ‘them’; we should be guided by the interests of Nigerians. I wish all of us a very fruitful deliberation and hope for recommendations that will meet the approval threshold of the provisions of Section 9 of the Constitution,” he said.
What You Should Know
Senator Barau Jibrin, the Deputy Senate President, is spearheading the ongoing constitutional review process aimed at addressing long-standing demands for new states and local governments.
The proposals, if approved, would significantly reshape Nigeria’s political and administrative landscape.
