National Assembly Committee Approves Creation of New State in South-East

The Joint Committee on Constitution Review of the National Assembly has endorsed the creation of an additional state in Nigeria’s South-East geopolitical zone.

According to a statement from the committee’s media unit, the decision was reached on Saturday during a two-day retreat held in Lagos, where lawmakers reviewed 55 proposals for new states across the country.

The retreat, chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and co-chaired by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, resolved that creating a new state in the South-East would promote fairness and equity in Nigeria’s federal structure.

Kalu, who has been a leading voice for the initiative, said the move would give the people of the region “a renewed sense of belonging.” When approved, the South-East will have six states—bringing it on par with the South-South, South-West, North-Central, and North-East zones.

At present, the South-East comprises Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo, making it the only zone with five states. The North-West, by contrast, has seven, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Jigawa.

During the Lagos session, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) moved the motion for the creation of the new state, which was seconded by Ibrahim Isiaka (Ifo/Ewekoro, Ogun State). The motion received unanimous approval from committee members and was formally adopted.

The committee also set up a sub-committee to examine all requests for additional states and local government areas across the six geopolitical zones. In total, 278 proposals were submitted for review.

Speaking at the close of the retreat, Jibrin urged committee members to rally support from colleagues in both the National Assembly and the 36 state Houses of Assembly to ensure smooth passage of the proposal.

“We must build consensus so that every part of the country aligns with this process. By the time we get to voting, we should already have the buy-in of all stakeholders,” Jibrin said.

If successful, the move will mark a major milestone in Nigeria’s ongoing constitutional reform process and could reshape political representation in the South-East.