THE House of Representatives will hear a proposal to divide the six states that now exist in the South-West of Nigeria into three new states.
The bill, which is supported by Hon. Busayo Oluwole Oke (Osun-PDP), aims to establish the states of Ife-Ijesa, Ijebu, and Oke-Ogun.
Oke, the head of the House Judiciary Committee, observes that Ife-Ijesa consists of eleven local government areas (LGAs). “A Bill for an Act to further amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended)” is the name of the proposed law, which would change the First Schedule, Part I by adding new states and changing the number of LGAs.
Currently, the North-West region boasts the most states (seven), with the South-West trailing behind at six (Ondo, Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, and Ekiti). If passed, Oke’s bill would lead the South-West to the top spot, potentially impacting political representation and resource allocation.
However, the path to the creation of states in Nigeria is laden with challenges. The bill requires a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers of the National Assembly, followed by approval from at least two-thirds of state Houses of Assembly (24 states).
Eighteen-Eleven Media