Misplaced Priority, Creation of Additional States

Renewed agitation for the creation of additional states being considered in the House of Representatives is a rearrangement of the destructive ills tormenting Nigeria’s political system. In the proposal, the lawmaker representing the Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency in Osun State, Oluwole Oke, tabled a bill in the House for the creation of three additional states in the South-West. With all the monetary, security and political headwinds taking steps to eviscerate Nigeria, this is a misplaced priority. The House ought to rapidly commit it to the dustbin.

Basically, the constitution amendment exercise is set to consider a bill looking to create Ijebu (capital at Ijebu-Ode), Oke-Ogun (Iseyin) and Ife-Ijesa (Ile-Ife) states. In the current 36-state structure, there are six states in the South-West, seven in the North-West, six in the North-East, five in the South-East, six in the South-South and six in the North-Central. The FCT is the stand-alone federal capital.

In the bill, the lawmaker, who is likewise the Chairman, House Judiciary Committee, pivoted his action on the marginalization of the South-West. Oke said the creation of additional states ought to prompt a decrease in the local government areas in the region. This is bewildering. In Nigeria, where states and LGAs exist mostly to share from the monthly federal allocations, it will be hard for the new states to get by.

Clearly, Oke and his partner are only thinking about political leverages – three more state capitals, three more lead representatives/deputies, three more state assemblies, more federal lawmakers, and other expense centres. This is simply one more duplication that does not line up with the cruel economic realities on the ground.

The creation of additional states for the South-West would raise a penchant of entitlement among different regions, particularly the South-East. They will likewise demand to be paid back in kind. This evidently is a call to disorder.

In the past ten years, Nigeria has been grappling with additional major challlenges. There is the naira debacle. Hunger is stalking 140 million elaborately needy people in the land. There are over 20 million out-of-school students. Insecurity is intensifying issues for farmers. There is no power to power up industries and households. State creation is not the answer to these niggles.

Without a doubt, state creation has caused more damage to the system than good. As indicated by Economic Confidential, just seven out of the current 36 states can exist without the monthly federal allocations. They are Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Kaduna, Kwara, Oyo, Edo. Osun, where the lawmaker is from, is not among them.

Thus, Nigeria does not require more expense centres. All things considered, the lawmakers ought to be bothered about restructuring Nigeria to a genuine federal state.

Since Alaska (January 1959) and Hawaii (August 1959) were conceded into the American Union, there had been no new state in the United States despite the land mass of the nation, and its stunning GDP of $25.46 trillion. From their establishment on January 1, 1901, Australia, with a GDP of $1.68 trillion (12th highest on the planet), has remained a federation of six states.

In a way, the primordial craving for state creation has a great deal to do with terrible governance. It has fueled an unbalanced reward system where, once conceded into the political class, the perks of office are practically microscopic. For the 10th National Assembly, each lawmaker is qualified for no less than one SUV that costs N160 million. It is enticing for Oke and his co-voyagers to create additional states for this status quo to remain.

Hence, Oke and the parliament ought to situate the perpetual quest for the creation of additional atomized states all the time in Nigeria’s impossible political system.

They ought to cast off the ongoing constitution amendment exercise, which previous parliaments covered up, in favour of a people’s constitution that will make arrangements for the significant precepts of federalism, especially state police, fiscal federalism and resource control.