August 03, (THEWILL) — It is amazing that the six geo-political zones in Nigeria are asking for additional states in a country that is weighed down by recurrent expenditure, low capital formation, poor production capacity, decades of stagnant agriculture and mediocrity in all spheres of human endeavour. And the politicians, always with a knack for self-interest, appear willing to oblige to the demands.
As at press time, the number of proposed new states before the National Assembly stood at 46. There are six from the Northeast; seven from the Northwest; 12 from the Northcentral; six from the Southeast; seven from the SouthSouth and eight from the Southwest. Virtually all the states want to be divided into two and in some cases like Oyo and Benue, three additional states are being proposed.
While the Constitution recognises the diverse nature of the country and supports the need for administrative units based on the identity of the people, it is arguable whether autonomy for its sake is what Nigeria needs now amid the deepening economic and social malaise mentioned above.
Historically, Nigerians have been on this lane of agitation for states before independence in 1960 when the Willink Commission was set up at the Nigeria Constitutional Conference in London in September 1957, following disagreement among the delegates on the number of states to be created. The Commission was directed as a matter of urgency to look into the demand for states to, “eliminate fears of ethnic domination among minorities.” It, however, conducted and submitted a report that found no established reason to justify the creation of new states.
Nonetheless, the regional governments made political capital out of the agitation with each of them expressing readiness to support the creation of state in their rivals’ territory until the 1966-67 civil war, during which the General Yakubu Gowon military regime took the plunge to create 12 states on its justification that “the main obstacle to the future stability in this country is the structural imbalance in the Nigerian federation. Even decree No. 8 or Confederation or loose Federation will never survive if any section of the country is in a position to hold others to ransom.”
Subsequent military regimes kept adding up the number. General Murtala Muhammed’s regime jacked up the number of states to 19 in 1976, while G Ibrahim Babangida’s administration raised the number to 21 states at first and then to 30 in 1991. The General Sani Abacha military regime in 1996 added six more states to take the number to 36 states.
Continuous agitation since then has increased rather than waned, even in the face of evidence that many of the states are basket cases and they are non- viable without the monthly allocations from Abuja.
Surprisingly, the 2014 National Conference held under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s government recommended 54 additional states!
In the period prior to the creation of more states, Nigeria was under the three regions; she prospered in economic and social development. The healthy competition and rivalry among the three regions witnessed what may be called the golden period of the Nigerian State. Governance was inclusive.
What we have now 36 states cannot compare with what obtained under the regional government. Huge cost of governance as witnessed by recurrent expenditure under a bureaucratised system, corruption and governors parading themselves as kings immune from criminal prosecution is what the country has had to show for the over 40- years of state creation exercise.
Harnessing the abundant human and natural resources within all the states ever take centre stage in policy formulation in the states. Exclusion rather than inclusion of the people reigns supreme in almost all the states. We believe this is a wrong way to go about economic development, growth and well-being of the people.
While we kick against the number of proposed states, we urge the National Assembly and its Constitution Review Committee to look into every proposal with the past unenviable experiences as guide. One of two cases may be genuine, but 46 is untenable, unsustainable and a recipe for disaster.
Some analysts have even called for the more likely option: The collapse of existing states into autonomous provinces within the geo-political zones. Pushing Nigerians apart, even those with the same culture, tradition and linguistic ability, in the name of state creation is absurd and the height of egoism.
