By Muhammed Nasiru Adejoh
The Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives and Member Representing Ankpa, Omala and Olamaboro Federal Constituency of Kogi State, Rt. Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Ali Halims earlier today led a debate at the plenary session of the House of Representatives on a “Bill For An Act To Alter The Constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria To Provide For The Creation of Okura State Out Of Kogi State”.
According to a media statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Comrade Muhammed Nasiru, the bill which was read for the second time today is principally sponsored by the lead debater, Rep. Abdullahi Ibrahim Ali Halims and among other things, the bill when passed into law will bring the government closer to the long neglected people of Igala/Bassa land thereby creating a balanced development and equitable distribution of the Nation’s resources.
While leading the debate, the Deputy House Leader revealed that the bill has four clauses with clause one referred to as the enactment clause. Clause two and three are the amendment clauses of the principal Act, while four is the Citation clause stressing that the principal Act shall cause deleting the word “thirty six” and inserting the word “thirty seven” instead thereof as States of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Furthermore, the bill will provide a legal framework for inserting a new paragraph into the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria immediately after the Ondo State paragraph and before the Osun State paragraph to read State and Capital as Okura and Egume respectively while Ankpa, Bassa, Dekina, Ibaji, Idah, Igalamela/Odolu, Ofu, Olamaboro and Omala will be listed as Local Government Areas.
Rep. Halims emphasized the fact that section 8 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) empowers the National Assembly to create new state through an Act of Parliament as re-enforced by the supreme court in the case of Nwokedi V Anambra state government & Anor (2022) LPELR- 57033.
Concluding, the ranking parliamentarian said the all important bill seeks to promote equity, fairness, justice and above all balance development, equitable representation and effective management of human and God’s given resources of the proposed Okura State. Thereafter, he urged the Speaker and his distinguished honourable colleagues to support the bill overwhelmingly.
