DOES NIGERIA NEED NEW STATES?

 The issue of state creation has come up again, what with members of the National Assembly debating the bill. But at this critical political juncture in Nigeria, and given the happenings in our political polity, do we need more states in Nigeria? The indisputable fact is that most of Nigeria’s 36 states are economically unviable and unsafe. For example, while people are starving to death in some Nigerian states, insurgents, bandits, and terrorists are abducting rich people for ransom in other states of the country. 

Before the creation of states started in Nigeria in the late 1960s, we had four regions, namely the northern region, eastern region, western region, and the mid-western region. Regionalism was a component of our parliamentary system of government that lasted between 1960 and 1966. Then, all the regions in the country strove to outpace one another in diverse areas of national development. While the northern region was known for groundnut pyramid, the western region excelled in cocoa production, and the eastern region in palm oil produce.  

More so, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the premier of western region espoused the principle of democratic welfarism, and implemented free education policy in the western region. In the east, Rt Hon. Nnamdi Azikiwe was instrumental in the building of the University of Nigeria, which is at Nsukka. 

But it is incredulous that those notable politicians who inhabited our political space in the first republic couldn’t solve our country’s ethnic and religious problems. As a result, we had the bloody coup of January 1966 and the counter-coup of July 1966, which threw Nigeria into a cauldron of violence. That political violence snowballed into the Nigeria-Biafra civil war, which lasted for three years. 

In order to stop the secessionist bid of the eastern region, Yakubu Gowon split the country into a 12-state structure. His deft manoeuvring (creation of states) could be rationalised on the grounds that it was done to prevent the disintegration of Nigeria. But other successive military rulers, who ruled over our country, created more states so as to ignite our country’s development and ensure the inclusion of all Nigeria’s tribes and ethnic groups in the governance of Nigeria at different strata of government. 

Cultural and religious affinities, economic viability, landmass, and population were believed to be the factors, which our past rulers considered when they created new states. But our scrutiny of the states has shown that our leaders created the states, whimsically. Or they might have created them to achieve their own ends and please their friends. 

For example, now, there is a town in Enugu State, the indigenes of which have kith and kin in Kogi State. So it can be seen that the creation of states in Nigeria has divided a people who share the same ancestral roots instead of uniting them. And a great majority of the states in Nigeria are so financially emasculated that they depend on the centre, perpetually, for their survival and sustenance. 

However, the proponents of the creation of new states in Nigeria have argued that creating new states in Nigeria would bring government nearer to the people and ensure that there is balance or parity as to the number of states in the geopolitical zones. And they posit that the creation of new states in Nigeria will lead to the establishment of states’ civil service, which will employ new workers, thereby reducing the number of unemployed people in Nigeria. 

But they had glossed over the fact that the creation of states brings about the vexed matter of boundary adjustment and the sharing of jointly-owned properties. Matters that border on demarcation of boundaries and sharing of jointly owned properties by two states are not resolved, easily. Often times, the matters would degenerate into violence and shedding of blood. The breakout of violence in any part of the country can lead to the destruction of infrastructure, loss of human lives, and, possibly, the disintegration of Nigeria. 

Again, state creation will, no doubt, lead to increase in the number of National Assembly members, which will jerk up the cost of governance in Nigeria. At present, Nigerian lawmakers receive humongous wages when compared to their counterparts in other countries. Reducing the cost of governance in Nigeria is the clarion call of well-meaning Nigerians. Our leaders should execute deeds that will better the lot of the hoi polloi instead of carrying out policy actions that will stall our national development. 

Chiedu Uche Okoye,

Uruowulu-Obosi,

Anambra State