The youth wing of apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has rejected the proposed additional five states for the South-East.
Nigeria’s House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review on Thursday, February 6, proposed the creation of 31 new states in the country.
If the proposal scales through, the Nigerian state will be made up of 67 sub-national governments as the country’s current states stand at 36, including the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the proposal, the new states are Okun, Okura, and Confluence states from Kogi; Benue Ala and Apa states from Benue; FCT state; Amana state from Adamawa; Katagum from Bauchi; and Savannah states from Borno and Muri State from Taraba.
Others are New Kaduna and Gujarat from Kaduna State; Tiga and Ari from Kano; and Kainji from Kebbi State; Etiti, Orashi, Adada, Orlu and Aba from the South East.
Also included are Ogoja from Cross River State, Warri from Delta, Ori and Obolo from Rivers, Torumbe from Ondo, Ibadan from Oyo, Lagoon from Lagos, Ogun, Ijebu from Ogun State, and Oke Ogun/Ijesha from Oyo/Ogun/Osun States.
However, Ohanaeze youths said the proposal would further increase the marginalization of the South-East zone.
In a statement on Friday, February 7, the National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike said Ndigbo had been crying of marginalization, given that they have only five states, as against six and seven by some regions in the country.
Okwu said to worsen the situation, the Reps were now proposing only additional five states for the South-East, with other regions having more.
Okwu urged the National Assembly to jettison the idea in order to avoid worsening the ill-feelings by the people of the South-East.
“When we read the news about the Reps’ proposal for state creation we were delighted. However, on clear scrutiny of the proposed states, we identified a clear further marginalization of the South-East.
“Our zone has been crying for an additional state since the return to democracy in 1999. But it has always been scuttled by those who are happy with having Ndigbo subjugated in this country.
“We find this current constitution amendment process as an ample opportunity to right that wrong, but we are seeing the contrary,” Okwu lamented.
He said any genuine effort at uniting the country should start by first giving the South-East two additional states, after which an equal number of states should be created for each of the regions to bring them at par.
Okwu knocked the members of the House of Representatives from the South-East “for allowing such a proposal which is skewed against the South-East”.