- Proposes 12 Federating Units
The Middle Belt Congress (MBC) has proposed a 12-province structure for Nigeria.
The position of the MBC was contained in an unsigned copy of their memorandum submitted to the Senate Adhoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution in Abuja.
Under the proposed federating units, Western Province will comprise of Okun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Ose and New Oyo States.
Aside the MBC, about 49 other groups and individuals have also submitted memoranda to the Committee.
The Deputy Senate President Omo-Agege-led Senate Committee on Constitution review had given Nigerians and other critical stakeholders a window of two weeks to make submissions to the panel.
Some of those who have submitted papers to the Committee include Prince Tony Momoh, Tope Fasua and Coalition of Federalists for Good Governance in Nigeria (CFGG) among others.
Tuesday was deadline for submission of memoranda, according to the Panel.
According to the MBC: “There shall be twelve (12) federating units in Nigeria to be called Provinces comprising of the States written against their names.
“North-West Province shall comprise Sokoto, Kebbi and the Zamfara States; North-Central Province shall comprise Kaduna and Katsina States.
“North-North Province shall comprise Kano, Jigawa and Ghari States; North-East Province shall comprise Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, Amana, Savannah, and Katagum States.
“Middle-Belt West Province shall comprise Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Edu and Kainji States; Middle-Belt East Province shall comprise Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Taraba, Gurara and Apa States.
“Western Province shall comprise Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Ose, Okun and New Oyo States; South-West Province shall comprise Lagos, Ogun, and Ijebu States.
“Mid-West Province shall comprise Delta, Edo and Anioma States; Niger Delta Province shall comprise Rivers, Bayelsa and Oil River States.
“South-East Province shall comprise Anambra, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Aba, Adada, Njaba and Etiti States; South-South Province shall comprise Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Ogoja States.”
The group also recommended additional 19 States should be created to bring the numbers of states in the country to 56.
However, only 18 of the States suggested by the MBC, were reflected in the memo.
The proposed States by the MBC include: Aba State from Abia State; Adada State from Enugu State; Amana State from Adamawa State; Anioma State from Delta State; Apa State from Benue State and Edu State from Niger State.
Others are: Etiti State from South East Geopolitical Zone; Ghari State from Kano State; Gurara State from Kaduna State; Ijebu State from Ogun State; Kainji State from Kebbi and Niger States, Katagum State from Jigawa State and New Oyo from the Oyo State.
Also listed are: Njaba-Anim State from Anambra and Imo States, Ogoja State from Cross River State, Oil River State from Rivers State, Okun State from Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara and Kogi States; and Ose State from Edo State.
Credit: The Nation
