For now, after a headcount, only a country in North America, the U.S., has the highest number of states, 50, but that will probably change should an unlikely consensus on the African continent, more specifically Nigeria, be reached.

If the proposal of a Federal House of Representatives Constitution Review Committee in Nigeria put forward yesterday should pass, it would be the latter that takes the crown even though birthing new regions, critics suggest, may bring about tougher burdens.

Advocacy to expand the current federating units in Nigeria had been running in the background for some years among different interest groups, but it was the Thursday 6 February 2025 plenary led by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Mr Benjamin Kalu that stripped bore the raging thirst for expansion and ending marginalisation.

Deputy Speaker Kalu, reading out the committee’s proposal contained in a letter confirmed a move asking for 31 extra states to be added to the existing thirty-six. According to the communication and a rule that legitimises the process, creating a new state shall only be passed if it requires support by at least the third majority of members.

In the proposal read by the lower house on Thursday, just two out of six geopolitical zones have equal slots and they are asking for seven more states to be created in their territories while still leaving others short and these areas are the north-central and southwest respectively.

Pushing back

Before the House of Representatives members supporting the constitutional tweak will be able to live out their dreams, they will need to convince two major sociocultural groups – the Arewa Consultative Forum in the north and down in the southwest of Nigeria, the Afenifere clique.

The two groups offered similar criticisms concerning why multiplying administrative centres isn’t what their country needs at this time. We have not seen the details of the proposed states, but it’s ridiculous. How long are we going to be creating states and creating problems in this country?, the National Publicity Secretary of the former, Prof Tukur Muhammad-Baba asked in a reaction to the proposals.

How many of the 36 states are viable economically? How many of the states can carry the administrative burdens of governorship and all it takes – the civil service and the amount of expenditure on overhead?

Honestly, I don’t think the creation of states is our priority because it’s too expensive and unnecessary, and there is no way it will stop. It’s opening up room for more demands and more acrimony.

These concerns are coming despite the northern region having a fair share, 15 when considering the total number of propositions the Assembly received.

In the southern region where Afenifere originates from, the new states people are asking for are just one place higher than the northerners, yet the group is maintaining a feisty view challenging the constitutional review committee’s decision.

What seems a more advantageous move, according to Afenifere is to gravitate towards a country practising true federalism instead of one whose overheads curl up to getting more steep. Nigeria needs a system where states or regions control their resources and contribute an agreed percentage to the federal government, just as it was during the First Republic, says the group’s National Organising Secretary Abagun Kole Omololu in a recent reactionary statement.

Heading back to the status quo according to the secretary is the only path to sustainable development, not the reckless creation of more administrative units.

Afenifere says it rejects the proposal and wants well-meaning Nigerians to resist what is being seen as attempts to distract from the real conversation which is restructuring and true federalism.

 The roll call

Not all sociocultural groups think the constitutional amendment proposal to add to the states of the federation is a waste of time and effort. That is picturing members of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide which represent interests in the southeast of Nigeria comprised mainly of the Igbos, a tribe currently struggling to overcome the feeling of being marginalised.

To the south-easterners, seeing through an amendment offers a chance to correct the hurt they have felt over being unable to participate more actively in the affairs of governing their country.

ALSO READ: The Birth of the UK’s Igbo First Daughter

With their high population, Igbos think the space and territory carved up for them is smaller than what one so influential from an economic point of view, ought to be getting.

A breakdown showing new states being proposed from the southeast geopolitical zone reveals the number as five. This, if passed and added to the existing sub-nationals in the region, will push up the value to 10 states.

It is worth noting that a few of the proposals being made are major municipalities already enjoying attention for the value they create. This is perhaps why the Representatives from the areas think they should be elevated to state status, like some of the names listed after this line.

NORTH-CENTRAL

1. BENUE ALA STATE from the present Benue State.
2. OKUN STATE from the present Kogi State
3. OKURA STATE from the present Kogi State
4. CONFLUENCE STATE from the present Kogi State
5. APA-AGBA STATE from Benue South Senatorial District
6. APA STATE from the present Benue State.
7. A 37th state, namely FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA

NORTH-EAST

8. AMANA STATE from the present Adamawa State.
9. KATAGUM STATE from the present Bauchi State.
10. SAVANNAH STATE from the present Borno State.
11. MURI STATE from the present Taraba State.

NORTH-WEST

12. NEW KADUNA STATE and GURARA STATE from the present Kaduna State.
13. TIGA STATE from the present Kano State.
14. KAINJI STATE from the present Kebbi State.
15. GHARI STATE from the present Kano State

SOUTH-EAST

16. ETITI STATE as the sixth (6th) state in the South East geopolitical zone.
17. ADADA STATE from the present Enugu State of Nigeria.
18. URASHI STATE as the sixth (6th) state in the South East geopolitical zone.
19. ORLU STATE from the South Eastern Region of Nigeria.
20. ABA STATE from the South Eastern Region of Nigeria.

SOUTH-SOUTH

21. OGOJA STATE from the present Cross River State.
22. WARRI STATE from the present Delta State.
23. BORI STATE from the present Rivers State
24. OBOLO STATE from the present Rivers and Akwa Ibom States.

SOUTH-WEST

25. TORU-EBE STATE from the present Delta, Edo, and Ondo States.
26. IBADAN STATE from the present Oyo State.
27. LAGOON STATE from the present Lagos State.
28. IJEBU STATE from the present Ogun State.
29. LAGOON STATE from the present Lagos State and Ogun State
30. IFE-IJESHA STATE from the present Oyo State.
31. OKE-OGUN from the present-day Ogun, Oyo, and Osun states.

Meiza Nigeria