Rep members
The House of Representatives has taken a step towards the creation of a new state in the southeastern region of Nigeria.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that lawmakers in the lower chamber of the national assembly on Thursday passed a bill for the establishment of Orlu State through its first reading.
The proposed legislation, sponsored by Hon. Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere, representative of Ideato North South Federal Constituency of Imo State, and co-sponsored by other lawmakers, is now set for second reading.
According to the draft bill, the creation of Orlu State will alter the 1999 Constitution, increasing the number of states in Nigeria from 36 to 37.
The new state will be carved out from Imo, Abia, and Anambra states, with Orlu as its capital city.
The bill also seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution by inserting a new paragraph, which will include 28 local government areas, namely Orlu, Orsu, Oru West, Oru East, Ideato North, Ideato South, Njaba, Nkwerre, Nwangele, Isu, Oguta, Ohaji Egbema, Onuimo, Ihiala, Uga, Uli, Ozubulu, Akokwa, Arondizuogu, Umuchu, Umunze, Umuaku, New Ideato North, Nwabosi West, Nwabosi East, Owerre Nkworji, Alaoma, Amaifeke, and Owerrebiri Umuowa.
Hon. Ugochinyere, the lead sponsor of the bill, appealed to his colleagues at the National Assembly to support the bill to ensure its passage through a second reading.
He stated that the creation of Orlu State would lead to the emergence of Ideato as a senatorial district.
It should be noted that all the geopolitical zones in Nigeria have at least 6 states except the southeast which has 5 states.
Note: We have a set of legislators in Nigeria who are more bedeviled with favoritism rather than common interests for the benefit of the country.
The creation of a state should be based on economic and geographic reasons which may include an increase in population when compared with landmass, but the case is quite different in the call for the creation of Orlu State where the bill sponsoring its creation merely cited reason that it should be created simply because each of the other regions has at least six states.
The sponsor of the bill has forgotten to consider that Southeast does not even deserve the five states it currently enjoys if we're to base the state's creation on equity.
Southeast has the least population per geopolitical zone and the least landmass when compared to other geopolitical zones in the country.
When do we have the country of our dreams if such a vital bill is sponsored on favoritism without considering the key factors?
The entire five states in the Southeastern part of Nigeria is 29,525 square kilometers with this, there are about 13 states in Nigeria, which is each bigger than the entire Southeast in landmass and population.
If these states and their regions are not demanding more states, is Southeast really ripe for more states or better be sincere in working together to develop the five states it currently has?
These are Southeastern states and their landmass is in square kilometers.
Enugu State 7,161
Abia State 6,320
Ebonyi State 5,670
Imo State 5,530
Anambra State 4,844
Category: World-News
Tag: Reps Move To Create Additional State in Igbo Land
Written by Author (author)
Published 6/6/2024 5:56:41 PM