This decision was one of the key resolutions reached at the conclusion of a two-day retreat held in Lagos, co-chaired by Deputy Senate President Senator Barau I. Jibrin and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.

The committee reviewed a total of 69 bills, including 55 state creation requests, two boundary adjustments, and 278 proposals for local government creation. During the review of the state creation requests, which took place on Saturday, the committee unanimously agreed to approve the formation of six new states.

If the proposal is approved by both chambers of the National Assembly, it would increase the total number of states in Nigeria from 36 to 42.

The approved plan includes the creation of one new state in each of the country’s six geopolitical zones: North West, North East, North Central, South West, South South, and South East. As a result, the distribution of states across the zones will be, North West- 8 states, North East- 7 states, North Central- 7 states, South West- 7 states, South South- 7 states, South East- 6 states.

This resolution will be included in the report to be presented to both chambers of the National Assembly in the first week of November.

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In a statement, a principal officer noted that the decision to create the six new states was supported unanimously by lawmakers from both chambers, emphasizing the spirit of fairness and equity in the process.

The lawmakers also established a subcommittee tasked with identifying the specific regions from which the new states will be carved. Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, the Chief Whip of the Senate, will lead this subcommittee.

A member of the subcommittee from the North West assured that the committee will thoroughly review all 55 state creation requests submitted to the National Assembly. “We will ensure that the process is fair and just to all proponents of state creation,” the member stated.

Source: The Nation