6 October 2020
The Middle Belt Congress submitted a memoranda to the Nigeria Senate for the creation of 19 more states and 12 provinces from the existing 36 states in Nigeria
The proposed new states are as follows:
▪️Aba from Abia State
▪️Adada from Enugu State
▪️Amana from Adamawa State
▪️Anioma from Delta State
▪️Apa from Benue State
▪️Edu from Niger State
▪️Etiti from South-East Geopolitical Zone
▪️Ghari from Kano State
▪️Gurara from Kaduna State
▪️Ijebu from Ogun State
▪️Kainji from Kebbi and Niger States
▪️Katagum from Jigawa State
▪️New Oyo from the Oyo State
▪️Njaba-Anim State from ▪️Anambra and Imo States
▪️Ogoja State from Cross River State
▪️Oil River State from Rivers State
▪️Okun State from Ekiti, Ondo, ▪️Kwara and Kogi States
▪️Ose State from Edo State
And the states alongside the existing 36 states would be under the following Provinces
(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.
(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”.
According to the MBC, the creation of these states will put an end to series of political, religious and ethnic problems bedevilling the country. They also stipulated that the 774 local government should be abolished as the third tier of government.
During the 2014 National Conference Ogoja State was amongst the agreed new states to be created with a capital at Ikom.
Duke is CrossRiverian writing from London
