The demand for the creation of states is attracting considerable attention, especially in the National Assembly, where members from the South East are demanding an additional state in the region because it has the least (5) among the six geo-political zones in the country. This is a legitimate request. However, in this piece, I argue that all the states in the country were arbitrarily created by military regimes largely based on patronage. Now that we are in a democracy or civil rule, states should be created based on established criteria like population and landmass, not geo-political zones or ethnicity, which are not recognised by the constitution.
Geo-political zones are not only unconstitutional but also unrealistic. For example, the people of Southern Kaduna are closer to the people of Plateau State culturally and historically than the people of Sokoto. Why should they be in North West and not North Central? Also, the Benin people are closer to the Yoruba historically and culturally than the Ijaw, Efik and Ibibio. Why should they be in the South South not South West? Clearly, geo-political zones were arbitrarily created for selfish reasons as such not recognised by the constitution.
Also, it does not make sense to demand a state on the basis of ethnicity in a country with over 300 ethnic groups. Dr Reuben Udo argued in the ‘Ground Work of Nigerian History’ that “the larger concentration of the smallest ethnic groups [is] in the Middle Belt where there are more than 180 different groups”. He provided a map with the locations of all the groups. Therefore, how many states should be created in this region?
Let us examine the role of population and landmass in the previous creation of states. For example, compare the population of three Northern and five South East states based on the last census in 2006, conducted by the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, 12 years after the last creation of states in 1996 by the regime of General Sani Abacha, when six states were created (Zamfara, Gombe, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Lafia and Bayelsa) which increased the total to 36.
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The states are: Kano (9,401,288), Katsina (5,801,584) and Kaduna (6,113,503) and the five South East states are: Anambra (4,177,828), Enugu (3,267,837), Abia (2,845,380), Ebonyi (2,176,947) and Imo (3,927,563). From these figures, it is clear that the total population of the five states (16,395,555) is less than the total of the three Northern states (21,316,375). Yet, the South East wants additional state, not on the basis of population or landmass, but because the North West with a population of 35,915,467 has seven states. However, based on population and landmass, the North West should have at least eight states.
Also, compare the landmass of three Northern states in square kilometers, Borno (70,898), Niger (74,363 before General Babangida expanded it with Borgu) and Kaduna (46,053) with five South East states, Enugu (7,161), Ebonyi (5,670), Abia (6,320), Imo (5,530) and Anambra (4,844). It is clear that the total of the five states (29,525) is less than half of the total of Borno or Niger.
There is no controversy on the importance of landmass to national development because of mineral resources and agricultural production, for food security and export. No serious country with land and water resources will waste its hard-earned foreign exchange to import food, and also be at the mercy of food suppliers in international politics.
But even the South South has benefitted from the military regimes. For example, Bayelsa State with a population of 1,704,515 has three senators, like Lagos, with a population of 9,113,605 and Kano 9,401,288. Also, it is entitled to the constitutional requirement of at least a minister, and other federal character issues like appointment, recruitment and allocation of resources. In fact, the state receives almost double what each of the two states receives monthly as federal allocation because it is an oil-producing state.
Similarly, compare the landmass of the state (10,773) with that of Borno and Niger, as stated earlier. They are three times larger than the state in landmass, and over twice in population. The populations of the two states are as follows: Borno (4,171,104) and Niger (3,954,772). But as of May 2024, Bayelsa received N29.7 billion, Niger N9.3 billion and Borno N11.1 billion. Bayelsa would not have been given this much money if it were not a state.
Also, local governments were arbitrarily created. For example, consider the local governments of the following states: Osun 30, Imo 27, Niger 25, and Kaduna 23. Although the last two states which are in the North have fewer local governments, they have a higher population and landmass than the first two states which are in the South.
Population figures of the four states above have been stated earlier, other than Osun 3,416,959 and a landmass of 9,251. Compare this with Kaduna’s population of 6,113,503 and landmass of 46,053, but 23 local governments. This means that Kaduna has more than tripled Osun in landmass and almost doubled it in population but has seven local governments less than the 30 of Osun. What is the basis?
The point needs to be emphasised that all sections of the country benefitted from the arbitrariness, contrary to the old and persistent propaganda that because the military regimes were dominated by northerners, they created states and local governments in favour of the North. This is why I concentrated on presenting cases where the South benefitted from the arbitrariness at the expense of the North.
But even within the same state or geo-political zone, some communities benefitted at the expense of others, especially in the siting of capital. For example, the Igbo community of Asaba got the capital of Delta State as a favour to their daughter. There is the need therefore to present all sides of the story.
Be that as it may, Nigerians must continue to demand what they believe they deserve because nobody can dissolve the country peacefully. Section 2(1) of the constitution provides that “Nigeria is one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign state”. And I am not sure any president or legislators will delete this section because doing that means sooner than later they will be out of their positions and luxury.
Dikko lives in Abuja
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