The National Assembly has proposed the creation of six new states across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, a move that would increase the total number of states from 36 to 42 if approved.
The proposal emerged during a two-day retreat in Lagos by the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review, co-chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu.
During the retreat, lawmakers reviewed 69 constitutional amendment bills — including 55 requests for state creation, two for boundary adjustments, and 278 proposals for new local government areas.
After extensive deliberations, the committee unanimously agreed that one new state should be created from each geopolitical zone “in the spirit of fairness and equity.”
Under the proposed arrangement, the South-South and South-West would each have seven states, the South-East would have six, while the North-West, North-East, and North-Central zones would each have seven states.
The resolution is expected to be included in the committee’s formal report, which will be presented to both chambers of the National Assembly in the first week of November.
A sub-committee led by Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Tahir Monguno has been established to identify the specific regions or areas from which the six new states will be carved out. A member of the sub-committee from the North-West assured that the team would “meticulously review all 55 state creation requests” to ensure transparency and fairness.
However, the creation of new states requires a constitutional amendment — a process that demands approval by two-thirds of both chambers of the National Assembly and endorsement by two-thirds of state Houses of Assembly, a threshold that has made similar efforts unsuccessful in the past.
The renewed push comes amid mounting agitation from groups across the country. Campaigners from Delta North, for instance, have proposed the creation of Anioma State, to be included in the South-East, while calls for Ibadan State have intensified in Oyo State.
During the coronation of Oba Rashidi Ladoja as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadan, community leaders and the monarch himself reiterated their demand for Ibadan State to be created before or by 2027.