By Eric Teniola

The author in this third piece, continues with the discourse on states creation. The series was first published last week. 

A  JOINT meeting of both houses was held and the list of the members of the House of Representatives was eventually reduced to twelve. The twelve new members were Abubakar Tuggar, Dr. O.O. Oteh, E. Ojogu, B. Kantoma, Y. Paiko, B.M. Mabrama Jen, Mrs Abiola Babatope, Tunji Abolade, S.M.C. Ihekweazu, M.A. Agbamuche, Sule Abubakar and Hamza Ngajiwa. A joint meeting of the two committees was later held on June 22, 1983.

Present were Mr. D.O. Enanya, C.O.C. (Senate), Mr. Ladi Falade, Dr. A. Dada, C.O.C. (House of Representatives) and Mr.. Bamidele Adewunmi, Committee Clerk. They were all staff of the National Assembly. The President of the Senate at that time, Dr. Joseph Wayas reminded the Conference of the need to harmonise the conflicting resolutions of both Houses and determine which of the requests for creation of New States should go for Referenda.

In a letter dated December 11, 1980, Senator Ikpo, along with Chief Martin Nwoseh,  M.A. Agbamuche, A.N. Iduwe and G.N. Nwechue, rejected the idea of Onitsha to be part of Anioma state. Abubakar Tuggar was then elected the Chairman of the creation of states of the National Assembly. 

In all the committee received so many requests. Among the requests were for the creation of new Anambra State to be made up of Anambra, Awka, Idemili, Ihiala, Njikoka, Onitsha, Nnewi and Aguta; Ebonyi – Ishielu, Ikwo, Ezza, Afikpo, Ohasara and Abakaliki. Gombe State (Akko, Tangale-Waja, Dukku and Gombe) and  Katagum (Shira, Katagum, Gamawa, Misau and Jama’re); Cross River to be made up of New Cross River State – Calabar Municipality, Akamkpa, Obubra, Ikom, Ogoja, Odukpani, Obudu and Oron.

Bendel State to be made up of Anioma State (Ika, Oshimili, Aniocha and Ndokwa) and Delta State (Bomadi, Burutu, Ethiope, Isoko, Okpe, Ughelli and Warri). Gongola State to be made up of Taraba State (Wukari, Jalingo, Takum, Bali, Sardauna, Karim, Lamido, Ganye, Maye an Gamadiyo Districts of Numan LGA Zing, Jereng (part of Mayo Belwa LGA). Imo State to be made up of Abia Sate (Aba, Obioma Ngwu, Ukwa, Isiala Ngwa, Arochukwu, Ohafia, Bende, Ikwuano/Umuahia and Isuikwuato District, Afikpo, Ohaozara; Aba State (Aba, Isiala Ngwa, Obioma Ngwu and Ukwa and Njaba (as in the request).

Kaduna State to be made up of Katsina- Daura, Dutsinma, Katsina, Kankia, Mani, Malumfasi and Funtua; New Kaduna -Zaria, Ikara, Samnaka, Kachia, Jema’a, Birnin Gwari ans Kaduna LGA; Ondo State to be made up of New Ondo State (Akoko North, Akoko South, Akure, Idanre/Ifedore Ifesowapo, Ikale, Ese Odo/Ilaje, Ondo and Owo. 

Others are Oyo State to made up of New Oyo (Ogbomoso, Oyo, Ifedapo, Iseyin, Kajola Irepo Iwo) and Oshun State (Ede, Ejigbo, Ifelodun, Ila, Irepodun, Irewole, Odo Otin, Osogbo, Iwo and Ogbomoso); Rivers State to be made up of Port Harcourt State (Port Harcourt City, Tai Eleme LGA, Bori LGA excluding Odual Community, Ikwere, Etche and Ahoada; Sokoto State to be made up of Zamfara (Talata Mafara, Anka, Gumni, Maradun, Gusau, Chafe, Kaura/Namoda Zurmi, Isa, Zuru and Sakaba/Wasagu LGA) and Kebbi State (Arewa Dendi, Argungu, Baguda, Bunza,Gwandu, Jega, Koko/Besse, Sakaba/Wasagu, Yauri and Zuru.

Kano State to be made up of Jigawa State (Birni-Kadu, Dutse, Gaya, Gwara, Sumaila and Wudil; Lautai State (Ringim, Kaugama, Garki, Gumel, Maitagari, Hadeija Keffin-Hausa and Birniwa), Ghari (Kazaure, Bichi and Dambatta) and Tiga State (Bebeji, Gwarzo, Rano, Tudun Wada and Rogo. Borno State to be made up of Gujba State (Damaturu, Fune, Gujba, Biu, Fika, Bade and Kaga) and New Borno (Askira-Uba, Bama, Damboa, Gwoza, Konduga, Maiduguri Metropolitan, Monguno and Ngala.

Plateau State to be made up of Nassarawa/Middle Belt State (Lafia, Akwanga, Keffi, Nassarawa and Awe). Benue State to be made up of Kogi State (Kogi, Bassa, Okehi, Okene, Dekina and Idah); Okura State(Ankpa, Bassa, Dekina, Idah, Ofu and Omalla) and New Benue (as in the request)

That was the situation until Major General Muhammadu Buhari GCFR took over power on December 31, 1983. He did not create new states or new local governments. His priority then was to pursue a war on indiscipline and corruption. The war turned futile. General Ibrahim Babangida GCFR took over from Major General Buhari, and on September 23, 1987, he created Akwa Ibom and Katsina states.

On August 27, 1991, the same General Babangida created Abia, Enugu, Delta, Jigawa, Kebbi, Osun, Kogi, Taraba and Yobe states. On October 1, 1996, General Sani Abacha GCFR (September 20, 1943-June 8, 1998), created Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Nasarawa, Zamfara, Gombe and Ekiti states, making it thirty-six states which we now have in the country. If you observe, the new states created by General Babangida and General Sani Abacha were part of the requests submitted to Dr. Ekwueme’s committee and Alhaji Abubakar Tuggar’s committee of 1982 and 1983 respectively. 

The Abubakar Tuggar’s committee recommended that “We are convinced that the most sensible and stable approach to propose the creation of new states in Nigeria is to ensure that parity and equity do play a dominant role. Thus, new states proposed in the former Western Nigeria must be at par or equitably numbered if compared with those proposed in the former Eastern Nigeria. Similarly states in the former Northern Nigeria should as far as possible be at par or equitably proposed with states in both former Eastern and Western Nigeria put together”. 

The overriding criteria for all political and administrative reorganisations during the colonial era were administrative convenience and a reduction in the cost of administration. It is hardly surprising that in 1954 when Nigeria became a full fledged Federation, the country had only three large regions with one of them larger and more populous than the rest of the Federation put together.

In addition, each of the three Regions presented a dual personality. Instead of being a homogenous political unit, each consisted of a “Regional nucleus” occupied mostly, by a dominant ethnic group – the Yorubas in the West, the Ibos in East, and the Hausa-Fulanis in the North – with a peripheral zone occupied by various minority ethnic groups.

The cumulative disastrous effect of this unusual political structure on the country’s fragile Unity and Stability can hardly be over-estimated and or anticipated.  Indeed it had often been argued that the imbalance in the Nigeria political structure during the first Republic not only made continuous political crisis inevitable but more importantly prompted the various minority groups in the country to agitate for their own states.