[Nigeria] State creation: Bottlenecks, agitations, new challenges

By JUDE OSSAI, STEPHEN GBADAMOSI and BANJI ALUKO -- Sunday Tribune

That new states are on the agenda of the National Assembly with respect to expected constitution amendment is no longer in doubt. The focus is on which of the new state movements is likely to get the nod, even as new realities from the Senate appear to stand against the target. Regional Editor, OLAWALE RASHEED, writes on the politics of state creation from the country’s inception and likely new states to emerge from the impending exercise.

MANY justifications have been advanced for the push for new states out of the existing 36 in the federation. Similarly, countless reasons have been canvassed to support non-creation of states. Indeed, a couple of days ago, calls had been made for some states to be merged. The argument had been that some states were becoming non-viable. Politics of the time is, however, driving fast towards the emergence of new states between now and 2015.

Many citizens worry about the effects of further balkanisation of the federation. Those in support of new states, however, regard it as part of national restructuring to ensure equity and justice.

Since the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates of what now is Nigeria in 1914 and the subsequent creation of states in the country, the issue of state creation has always been a strenuous and delicate matter. Instructively, all the states in Nigeria, apart from the Mid-Western State, were created by the military government that had ruled in the past.

The last National Assembly took the bull by the horn as it started a process for the creation of new states. Although the Assembly could not complete the business, the new and present National Assembly has picked it up from where the last Assembly stopped. Shortly after its inauguration, Senate President, David Mark, and the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, gave indications that creation of new states would feature prominently in the proposed amendment of the 1999 Constitution. A stamp of legislative authority has been given as the presiding officers of the two chambers have declared their commitments to the project.

There also appears to be a presidential support. President Goodluck Jonathan, while seeking the presidential mandate, had cause to promise new states in some zones of the federation. What is more, some Ijaw leaders see the Jonathan presidency as an opportunity to add another predominantly Ijaw state to Bayelsa. Checks also revealed that key actors in power and out of power are resolutely behind the project.

The framers of the constitution are conscious of the possible agitation and so the procedure was deliberately complicated. The constitutional requirements for creating a new state are as follows:

According to the 1999 Constitution, to create a new state requires that such creation be supported by at least two-third of members (representing the area demanding the creation of the new state) in the Senate, House of Representatives, the House of Assembly in respect of the area and the local government councils in respect of the area that the state will be created in. That is not all; a referendum on the new state must be approved by two-third of the people in the area where the state is to be created and the result of the referendum approved by a simple majority of all the 36 states of Nigeria supported by a simple majority of members of the Houses of Assembly. After all these stages have been completed, the state is then approved by a resolution passed by two-third majority of members of the Senate and House of Representatives.

This stringent guideline has not deterred successive civilian governments from commencing moves towards state creation. In the Second Republic, A Senate committee set up in 1981 under Senator Abubakar Tuggar shortlisted 50 new states to be created. The then National Assembly approved the list for subsequent referendum in accordance with the provision of the constitution, but the process was aborted when the military overthrew the Sheu Shagari-led government in December 1983.

In the current republic and even with those stringent constitutional provisions, the legislature has received more that 40 requests for state creation. Among such proposed states are Igboezue, Adada, Aba, Njaba, Orlu, Orimili and Orashi (South East); Anioma, Oil Rivers, Ogoja, Afemaiesan, Toru-Ebe and New Delta (South South); Oduduwa, Ijebu, Ibadan, New Oyo, Oke-Ogun (South West); Apa, Idoma, Edu, Okun, Oya (North Central); Amana and Savannah, Katagum (North East); and Gurara (North West).

The underground scheming is almost akin to what happened in previous state creation exercise under the military. Most states created under Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha were due largely to the influence of highly placed people from the fortunate states. Even new state capitals were determined more by who was closer to the military rulers. Osogbo, for instance, got the capital of Osun due to such figures as Dr. Olu Alabi. Dutse upstaged Hadejia just as Asaba got the nod due mainly to influence peddling factors.

In the subsisting scenario, some of these personalities have promised their kinsmen a state of their own. What is more, some are hoping to emerge as chief executives of the new states after the expiration of their existing tenure. Hence, there are elements of personal and tribal agenda in the on-going exercise.

Conditions
But part of the criteria used in the past for a state to be created included the economic viability of the area demanding the new state, especially the ability and potentials for sustainable internal revenue generation, provable cases of demographic strength and underdevelopment arising from denial of access to human development; provable evidence of socio-cultural affinity and geographical contiguity; the need to redress lopsided cartography and boundary lines resulting in endless border and resource-based conflicts; provable instance of consensus among the demographic groups demanding the new states.

Others included the ability of the new states to provide their structure and resources to take off; ability to ensure internal security and cohesion and peaceful co-existence with their neighbours and the existence of human resource and personnel to run the state.

Talks of merging current states emerge
Some of these conditions that, perhaps, seem to be witnessing erosion in some states and this might explain the alarm raised by the Senate last Thursday where it claimed that some states in the country were on the verge of bankruptcy.

The development pushed the upper chamber of the National Assembly to mandate its committees on National Planning; States and Local Governments; and Finance to study the situation and make recommendations on possible remedial measures to avoid total collapse of the economy of the states.

Some of the states said to either in critical conditions or unhealthy are Ekiti, Plateau, Benue, Edo, Adamawa, Cross River, Enugu and Taraba.

Others are Ogun, Kogi, Yobe, Ebonyi, Ondo, Kaduna, Oyo, Bauch, Bayelsa, Nasarawa, Gombe and Rivers.

Against this backdrop, some senators have suggested the merging of some of these states, though there have also been other suggested solutions, such as readjustment of the revenue sharing formula. The question now is with the current agitation for more states, how does this new development affect the process believed to have been set in motion to actualise the goal?

Current agitation
A zone by zone analysis focussing on the politics of the exercise can be done as follows:

South East zone
Of the six geopolitical zones, the South East has been the most vociferous in the agitation, citing the need for zonal parity as it has only five states, while others have six or more. To the advantage of the zone, it currently has the deputy Senate president, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives and, strategically, the coordinating minister for the economy.

This connection within the administration is, however, generating divisions, rather than the unity needed to make the project a reality. The deputy speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, is believed to have his eyes on a Njaba/Orlu state to be create from Imo and Anambra states. But the deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, and the SGF, Chief Pius Anyim, appears to be poles apart on this issue. Anyim is reported to be interested in the creation of Old Ohaozara/Igboeze Orimili out of the present Anambra State. Senator Ekweremadu hopes a new state can emerge from Enugu State.

An Igbo writer attempted to resolve the riddle when he analysed the history of state creation in the South East. According to him, South East zone was first divided into Anambra and Imo states. Anambra got divided again into Enugu and Anambra states, the same time Imo was divided into Abia and Imo states. At last, Ebonyi State was created from Enugu and Abia states. So, the next or sixth state in the South East is obviously to be created from both Imo and Anambra states.

Apart from the above, there are those who also believe the Igbo can never agree to get a new state, even as the race is being blackmailed based on alleged ruling presence of Igbo in Delta and Rivers states. Interests from the North which are waiting in the wing to stop a new state for the Igbo cited the notion that the Igbo, indeed, have seven states as they are substantially present in controlling stature in Delta and Rivers.

But only last week, the Ambassador Ralph Uwechue-led Ohanaeze Ndigbo rose from its meeting in Enugu and reiterated its quest for an additional state in Igboland.

In Enugu State, agitators for Adada State creation have called on the National Assembly to stick to the guidelines spelt out by the Senate President Mark who emphasised that the exercise should be an opportunity to right the wrongs of the past which have resulted in perennial misgivings among many Nigerians.

Adada State also prominent
Leading the Adada group was a former speaker of the defunct Eastern House of Assembly, Igwe Charles Abagwu. Also in the lead of agitators were chairman of the state Committee on Actualization of Creation of Adada State, Major General Godwin Ugwuoke (rtd); chairman, movement’s Tactical Committee, Chief Cletus Opata; and the spokesman for the group, Chief James Ugwu.

Who will have the upper hands among these heavyweights spearheading the Igbo cause is only a matter of conjecture. Anioma state, from current Delta and Anambra states is, however, being touted as a likely option.

Why Anioma is likely
The creation of Anioma State is, perhaps, one of the oldest in the country. Records show that agitation for the creation of the state dates back to 1951. It is an attempt by the Igbo-speaking people of Delta State to have a state of their own. The word, Anioma, was a coinage used by the late Anioma state agitator, Osita Osadebey, to group the Igbo-speaking people of Delta State in Aniocha, Oshimili, Ndokwa and Ika areas.

According to Emeka Esogbue, a native of Ibusa in Oshimili North Local Government Area, the proposed Anioma state will also bring together other Anioma communities, such as Ndoni in Rivers State, Igbanke and Ekpon in Edo State and other Anioma communities in Edo, Imo and Rivers states.

Igboezuo State
Perhaps, the most convincing of all the agitations for state creation in the South East, agitators of Igboezuo state just want the creation of a state from the five states in the region to make up for the imbalance. By not citing cultural affinity or historical antecedents as reasons for its creation, it appears proponents of Igboezuo state have demonstrated correctness of perspective and have placed the overall interest of the Igbo nation before any other mundane consideration. What is their argument? To them, Igboezuo is like a union of the five Eastern states; the new heartbeat of the Igbo nation.

They are proposing that some existing local governments from the five states of the region be excised to form the new state. From Anambra State, Orumba North and South local government areas; from Enugu, Awgu and Aninri local government areas; and from Ebonyi, Ivo and Ohaozara local government areas. Abia will cede Isuikwuato and Umunneochi, with Imo producing the bulk of the local government areas by giving up Okigwe, Onuimo, Ideato North and South, Isiala Mbano and Ehime Mbano. With these, the new state will be ready to take off with 15 local government areas with headquarters at Okigwe.

Njaba State/Orlu State
In the vanguard of Njaba state is former Governor Achike Udenwa, while Senator Hope Uzodinma is behind Orlu state. The proposed Njaba state, according to its promoters, should be carved out of the 12 local government areas that make up Imo West (Orlu zone) of Imo State and Ihiala in Anambra State. The local governments are Orlu, Orsu, Oru East, Oru West, Oguta, Ohaji/Egbema, Nkwerre, Nwangele, Isu, Njaba, Ideato North and Ideato South. Njaba state, according to them, will ensure fairness as regards state creation in the former Eastern Region.

They recalled that the region was split into Imo and Anambra and from Imo; Abia was carved out while Enugu was created from Anambra and out of Abia and Enugu, Ebonyi later emerged. They, therefore, maintained that equity demands that the sixth state for the area be carved out of the present Imo and Anambra states. In the same senatorial district, agitators of Orlu state want the 12 councils that make up the zone to be accorded a state status.

South South zone
The zone, though with six states already, seems also set to get additional state. Those in the know said the president is under pressure to ensure the creation of a new state for the Ijaw in the Niger Delta. The argument is that as the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria, Bayelsa alone should not be the only predominantly Ijaw state. This is the genesis of the proposed Toru-Ibe state which is generating heated controversy between the Bini people and the Ijaw of the Niger Delta.

The Bini and Itsekiri recently accused the Ijaw of annexing their riverine areas to increase the land areas of the new Ijaw state. The opposition has been very vociferous. The Ijaw have also responded, claiming that the said riverine areas belonged to them as the Bini met them while on migration.

The Ijaw of Edo State said their demand for the creation of Toru-Ibe state from Edo and Delta states was to save them from the oppression they claimed to be suffering in the hands of the Bini people, which they said was more than what the Israelites suffered while in bondage in Egypt.

They described the claim by the Bini that all Ijaw riverine communities in the state belonged to them as “a bundle of lies and deliberate falsehood carefully crafted to bamboozle, misinform and mislead governments of Nigeria, especially members of the National Assembly who must be very wary.” Spokesman for the Ijaw in Edo State, Professor Christopher Dime, insisted that the Ijaw would never cede an inch of their land to any ethnic nationality in the country, adding that “the Ijaw had been the aborigines and the customary owners of all land covered by the proposed Toru-Ibe state.”

He said “despite their posturing, blind guessing and recent attempts at historical revisionism, it is clear that the Bini do not know and, indeed, cannot know when the Ijaw came into the Ijaw lands of present Edo State because the Ijaw were on the land long before the Bini migrated from Yorubaland.

“That the Ijaw were among the oldest ethnic nationality in Nigeria and, indeed, in the West African sub-region is not in doubt. That they are indigenous to the Niger Delta and its fringes to the West, East and North is equally no news. There is a pool of incontrovertible scholarly evidence and documentations in support of these claims. Among them is Chief Jacob Egharebva of blessed memory, the best known and celebrated Bini historian with Bini royal blood, who in his A Short History of Benin, said, ‘many, many years ago, the Bini came all the way from Egypt to found a more secure shelter in this part of the world. After a short stay in the Sudan and Ife, tradition says that they met some people who were in the land before their arrival.”

Agitators of Toru-Ebe State are said to aim to bring together the Ijaw in Delta, Ondo and Edo states. The demand for the creation of the state is, therefore, aimed at satisfying the long-standing yearnings of the people for self reliance, peace, stability, self-determination and development.

According to Dr. Felix Tuodolo, the clamour for the Ijaw to have a state of their own did not stop with the creation of Bayelsa State in 1996 and that agitation for the creation of Toru-Ebe State dated back to 1976. They are also insisting that Ijaw in Edo, Delta and Ondo states have become minorities in these states, a situation they believe can only be remedied if they are given a state of their own.
Appartr frome Dime, some of the other prominent Ijaw leaders agitating for the creation of this state include Chief J. O. Mieyebo, Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Okokolo Carter, Mr. V. B. Bamuza-Mutu, Brigadier-General Broderick Demeyeibo, Chief Edwin Clark, Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni (rtd), Chief Joshua Fumodoh and Chief F. J. Williams.

They asserted that the proposed Toru-Ebe State was viable with abundant minerals, oil and gas, river-bed sand and gravel, oil palm produce, timber, raffia palm for the production of industrial gins, mangrove trees for salt making, deep sea coastal and river fishing, shrimp and also farm produce in commercial quantities. The proposed state has natural landscape with beautiful beaches which can be developed into revenue generating tourist industry. The proposed state is also said to have enough human resources.

Beyond historical disputations, many insiders appear sure that if new states are created, Toru-Ibe is certain to be one of them.

North Central zone
Many are clamouring for new states in this zone as earlier listed. A factor very potent in the exercise is Senate President David Mark, an Idoma from a Tiv dominated state of Benue. Mark is seen by his people as the one to liberate them from the alleged hegemony of the Tiv.

This is why the creation of Apa state is very central to the political life of the Senate president.

His detractors were even as mean as to suggest that Senator Mark is to secure the creation of the new state and emerge as its first governor. This is if, as rumour mongers noted, he fails to secure the presidency come 2015.

According to the Senate president, the Assembly would break the jinx that states could only be created by the military. He assured Nigerians that the committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution would be fair to all in the consideration of states to be created.

The Mark factor is, thus, seen as set to stop a very historic opportunity for the Yoruba to have another state in the zone. In the North Central, Apa state and Senator Mark hold the key.

South West zone
The agitation for new state is also very strong in the South West. Three prominent expected states exist in the zone namely, New Ijebu, Ibadan and Oduduwa.

Oduduwa state is facing challenges due to change of government in Osun state, in addition to other associated development in the state. This is especially so in view of the constitutional requirements.
The two leading movements are basically those of Ibadan and Ijebu. Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ms Jumoke Akinjide, was upbeat about the chance of Ibadan state. According to the minister, the creation of Ibadan state is realistic and nobody should doubt it.

“Ibadan state, when created, will be one of the most viable states in the country. The reason, as you know, is that we have the Ibadan metropolis and the Ibadan less city. We also have strong economic potentials in view of the large number of people in Ibadan.

“In terms of economic viability, population and landmass, Ibadan ranks number one in terms of earning state position. If any state will be created, Ibadan state will certainly be one of them,” she stated.
But some analysts are pointing at change of government in Oyo state with a rationalisation that he minister may not be in a position to be so hopeful. While not doubting her good intention, the thinking of some pundits is that Ibadan state will be a mirage, unless the incumbent governor, Senator Abiola Ajumobi, pursued it as his agenda.

There is also the doubt as to whether Ibadan can stop the highly influential Ijebu from getting a state of their own in the new dispensation. The Ijebu are anchoring their agitation on records of history.

According to proponents of the new Ijebu state, its creation was long overdue because out of the old 24 provinces in Nigeria, only Ijebu province was yet to get a state, while three states had been created out of the old Sokoto province and two out of Kano.

But will the Egba let the Ijebu off the hook by backing the creation of the new state? Analysts premise that question on the history of rivalry between these two great ethnic stocks of Yoruba race, a competition a prominent Egba writer traced to political power struggles after the fall of the Oyo Empire and commerce, as to who controlled the slave market or route.

Interestingly, Ijebu and Egba lands extend beyond the present Ogun State with Ijebuland reaching up to Somolu and Epe and Egbaland extending to Oyingbo, Mushin and Abule Egba in the present-day Lagos State.

Sunday Tribune was, however, told that Egba and Ijebu elites are unanimous in the drive for the new Ijebu state. What remains, according to pundits, is for the new state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, to publicly support the bid for the new state.

Proponents of the new state are, however, very hopeful of having a new state possibly rich in oil and gas, good sea port and a rival to Lagos State. Unless the state government opposes the new state, insiders are sure Ijebu state will beat the proposed Ibadan and Oduduwa states, if new state were to be created from the South West.

Oke Ogun State
But there is also the issue of the proposed Oke Ogun state. The creation of the state from present Oyo State is among the most prominent agitations in the South West. With a land mass constituting about 60 per cent of the present Oyo State and a population of about 1.4 million, the Oke Ogun area in Oyo North Senatorial zone believes it deserves a state of its own. Other reasons being given is that the area has for long suffered neglect as a result of the distance between the area and Ibadan, the state capital, which is as much as 130 kilometres, as well as lack of development in the area.

But according the proponents of Ibadan state, which is the main road block to the proposed Oke Ogun state, of all the former regional capitals in Nigeria—Enugu, Kaduna and Ibadan—only Ibadan has not got a state of its own. It is based on this historical fact that backers of Ibadan state believe that it will become a reality if the National assembly eventually considers state creation.

North East zone
Two new state creation movements are very prominent in this zone, namely Katagum, wanted out of the present Bauchi State; and Savannah state, out of present-day Borno State.

Historically, Katagum is a province which leaders have been agitating for a state for long. Possibly due to geopolitics of the state, Katagum, despite producing key national leaders, has not been lucky in the quest for a new state. It was one of the 50 states shortlisted in 1981 and one of the 20 recommended during the Abacha-led regime.

In the present scheming, Katagum is truly strategically placed to realise its dream. A likely new Emir of Katagum is a prominent leading player in the present power structure in the country. Additionally, decision-makers are bending towards the scarce values of equity and justice in treating the Katagum request.

But there is a possible new equation to the situation in the North East. With low-level insurgency ongoing in central and Northern Borno, many are proposing the creation of a new state of Savannah to cover Southern Borno, which, interestingly, is predominantly Christian.

Leaders from Southern Askira/Uba, Bayo, Biu, Chibok, Damboa, Gwoza, Hawul, Kwaya-Kusar and Shani local government areas of Southern Borno had constituted committees to pursue the ambition. What is hard to determine is whether the mainstream Borno political elites will support such a move.

The Savannah state proponents are facing the same challenge as those of Gurara state in North Western zone. The leader of the movement, Bawa Magaji, said the creation of the proposed Gurara state was approved by the Kaduna State House of Assembly in its resolution on November 18, 2009.

“The proposed Gurara state, with headquarters in Kachia, has a population of 3,383,207 and a land mass of about 28,393 square kilometres,” he said.

But will mainstream Kaduna elites allow the separation? And again, can the North West have another state, since the zone is already with seven?

In the meantime, Katagum holds the ace in North East zone.

North West zone
Agitation for the creation of Southern Kaduna state from the present Kaduna State has been on for a very long time, but the aspiration has never yielded any positive fruit, despite that many states were created by the military governments. Their cry received further impetus after the religious crisis which rocked Kaduna State in 2000. As a result of the crisis, a committee (leaders of thought) formed by former governor of the state, Ahmed Makarfi, recommended the splitting of the state. Motion for the creation of the proposed state was also moved in the Kaduna State House of Assembly in 2002. Upon the declaration by the National Assembly to create additional states in the present dispensation, agitators for the creation of Southern Kaduna have returned to the drawing board.

One issue that comes up each time the debate for the creation of Southern Kaduna state is raised is about where the state capital will be located. It was even said that this singular issue prevented the creation of the state by the government of the late General Sani Abacha in 1996. Although the proponents of the state seem to have accepted making Kaduna metropolis the capital of the new state, they are still undecided over the choice of the capital between two towns—Zonkwa and Kachia.

Options for National Assembly
Again, the process is complicated and allows for unhappy elements to spoil the realisation of the project. For the National Assembly, many are suggesting the creation of five new states, one per zone, minus North West. But the former leadership of the National Assembly suggested 10.

If new states are to be created, the nation may well be expecting the following states: Ijebu, Katagum, Apa, Anioma and Toru-Ibe.

But with the new development over the unhealthy state of some states, which is sending jitters down the spines of stakeholders in the affected states and has made some notable Nigerians to call for the merging of some states, the death knell of new state creation might have been sounded.