The National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitution Review has received a total of 333 fresh requests from Nigerians seeking the creation of new states and local government areas across the country.
According to a statement on Friday by the committee’s chairperson and Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, the panel got 55 proposals for new states and 278 requests for additional local governments from various interest groups nationwide.
In addition, the committee received two requests for boundary adjustments and 69 bills seeking amendments to different provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
The statement, signed by Jibrin’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, noted that the committee began a two-day retreat in Lagos on Friday to scrutinise the proposals clause by clause.
“We have been in this process for the past two years, engaging our constituents, critical stakeholders, institutions, civil society organisations, and interest groups in town hall meetings, interactive sessions, and public hearings,” Jibrin stated.
“These engagements have culminated in what we have here today — 69 bills, 55 requests for new states, two for boundary adjustments, and 278 for local government creation.”
The ongoing review marks another attempt to amend the 1999 Constitution, which many Nigerians have criticised as outdated and unreflective of current social, political, and economic realities.
Since 1999, the National Assembly has altered the Constitution five times, though several proposals — including those related to state creation and restructuring — were rejected by state assemblies.
The current review began with a retreat in Kano earlier in the year and featured simultaneous zonal public hearings across the six geopolitical zones, which concluded in July.
Senator Jibrin reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to transmit the final amendment proposals to state Houses of Assembly before December.
“It will not be an easy task to achieve within two days, but we must deliver on our promise to Nigerians,” he said.
“We represent diverse ethnic, religious, and political groups, but the Constitution remains our collective foundation. We must approach this task with patriotism and a shared sense of national purpose.”
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, had earlier disclosed that apart from state and local government creation, the review also covers proposals for state police, independent candidacy, electoral reforms, and budgetary timelines for presenting annual appropriation bills.
The National Assembly is expected to finalise deliberations and forward the harmonised report to state legislatures before the end of 2025.
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