The Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has approved the creation of six additional states across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The recommendation was among the key resolutions reached at the end of a two-day retreat held in Lagos and co-chaired by the Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Barau Jibrin, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
According to the committee, the proposal followed the careful consideration of 69 constitutional amendment bills, 55 requests for state creation, two for boundary adjustments, and 278 requests for the creation of new local government areas.
Speaking at the close of the retreat, Sen. Barau said the exercise was the culmination of an extensive nationwide consultation process that spanned over two years.
“We have been in this process for the past two years, engaging our constituents, critical stakeholders, institutions, civil society organisations, and interest groups through town hall meetings, interactive sessions, and public hearings,” Barau stated in a communiqué issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir.
“We harvested and synthesised views and perspectives which have ultimately culminated in what we have here today — 69 bills, 55 state creation requests, two boundary adjustment requests, and 278 local government creation requests,” he added.
If approved by the National Assembly and subsequently endorsed through the constitutionally required processes, the creation of six new states would raise the total number of states in Nigeria from 36 to 42.
Under the proposal, each geopolitical zone will gain one additional state. The North West will have eight states, North East seven, North Central seven, South West seven, South South seven, and the South East six.
The committee explained that the recommendation was made in response to long-standing demands from different regions, aimed at promoting equity, administrative efficiency, and balanced development across the federation.
Deputy Speaker Kalu, in his remarks, said the exercise was guided by the principles of fairness, inclusiveness, and national cohesion.
“The goal of the constitution review process is to strengthen our federal structure and ensure that governance is brought closer to the people.
The issue of state creation has always been an emotional and political one, but our focus remains on ensuring balance and fairness across the six geopolitical zones,” he said.
Stakeholders who participated in the Lagos retreat included representatives from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the National Boundary Commission, civil society groups, and traditional institutions.
Participants commended the committee for the transparent and inclusive nature of the consultations, noting that the process could address long-standing agitations for representation and development at the subnational level.
The committee is expected to submit its final report and recommendations to the leadership of the National Assembly for consideration as part of the broader constitutional amendment process.
If adopted, the proposed amendment would mark the first major restructuring of Nigeria’s political map since 1996, when six states were created by the then military administration.
