National Assembly considers 55 new states, 278 more councils

The National Assembly has kicked off deliberations on a bold constitutional reform package that could dramatically reshape Nigeria’s political map — with proposals for 55 new states and 278 additional local government areas on the table.

The development was disclosed in Abuja on Friday via a statement by Ismail Mudashir, media aide to Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day joint retreat of the Senate and House Committees on Constitution Review in Lagos, Senator Barau declared the legislature’s resolve to deliver “people-centred and timely” amendments to the 1999 Constitution.

Barau, who chairs the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, said lawmakers are working to transmit the first batch of proposed amendments to state Houses of Assembly before year-end.

READ ALSO:

• Breaking: Tinubu sacks Defence Chief, appoints Oluyede, Shaibu, Aneke, Abbas as new Service Chiefs
• Drama in Kuje as police re-arrest Sowore after bail
• EFCC: Okowa still under probe for N1.3bn fraud despite defecting to APC

“It has been a long journey,” he said. “We’ve engaged constituents, stakeholders, civil society groups and institutions in town halls and public hearings. The result is 69 bills, 55 state creation requests, two boundary adjustments and 278 local government creation requests.”

He acknowledged the complexity of the task ahead but expressed confidence in the committee’s ability to meet its deadline.

“It’s not going to be easy, but we’ve made a promise to Nigerians,” Barau said.

The Deputy Senate President, who also serves as First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, urged lawmakers to put national interest above regional sentiments.

“There should be no ‘we’ and ‘them’. We are one committee, united by the interests of Nigerians,” he said.

Amending the 1999 Constitution is no walk in the park. It requires approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly — a hurdle that has tripped up previous efforts.

The last major review, led by the Ninth Assembly, saw mixed results. While bills on financial autonomy for state legislatures and the judiciary sailed through, proposals for state police and local government autonomy failed to secure consensus.

With the current push, lawmakers are hoping to break the jinx and deliver reforms that reflect the aspirations of Nigerians across the federation.

National Assembly considers 55 new states, 278 more councils