Reps okay 10 new States
By Luka Binniyat
Thursday, April 29, 2010
ABUJA—DEPUTY Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bayero Nafada, who is also Chairman of the ad-hoc Committee of the House of Representatives on Review of the 1999 Constitution, yesterday, said that the National Assembly would create 10 new states, with five from the North and five from the South, by next year.






http://odili.net/news/source/2010/apr/29/309.html

Nafada also said Nigerians should expect an amended 1999 constitution with landmark modification, in May, 2010.

The Deputy Speaker, who was fielding questions from National Assembly reporters, however, said the electoral reform would not authorize Nigerians in the diaspora to vote in the forth-coming elections.

The House of Representatives had, Tuesday, amended 44 clauses of the 1999 constitution after the Senate had done same last March.

According to the Deputy Speaker, the two chambers of the National Assembly would form a joint-conference committee for the harmonization of amendments passed by each House.

He said: “Each chamber would pick about five each from its constitutional review committee to form the conference committee. That task cannot take more than two days.

Transmission of amended constitution

“After the harmonization, we would transmit the amended constitution to the 36 States’ Houses of Assembly of the Federation. Before now, we have been meeting with the leadership of the Speakers’ Conference of Nigeria and the seven governors representing the Governors Forum in the review of the constitution led by Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State.

“All of them have assured us that it would take only one day for the states to vote either to reject of endorse it. The States Houses of Assemblies are not to alter or add anything new to what the National Assembly had sent them.

“They are just expected to vote on it, and when we have two-third of the 36 states voting in favour of the amendments, we would then bring the amendments to the third reading at the Senate and the House of Reps.

“If the amendment passes third, it automatically becomes a law, and the amended constitution stands. This is the only law that does not require the assent of the President. It starts and stops here at the National Assembly.”

On the creation of new states, Nafada said the National Assembly had agreed that due to the strong agitation for more states, and considering the genuine fact of most of the demands, new states would be created before the end of the current assembly next year.

He said: “The creation of new states is not as rigorous as the amendment of the constitution. The Governors Forum and many powerful interest groups have been inundating us with these demands.

“There are suggestions that five new states should be created from the North and five from the North, and we are taking that suggestion very seriously. But others are asking that four be created for the North and four for the South, we are also studying it.”

He did not, however, gave any hint on which states the proposed ones would be carved out of, but noted, “there is no running from the fact that new states would be created next year.”

The deputy speaker told newsmen that the Review of the Electoral Act would kick-off next week, stressing: “We, as a committee, have since finished our work and have submitted to the House. But, by next week, we would commence debate and voting after the consideration of the report, just as we have done on the constitution.”

Asked if the new Electoral Act would empower the millions of Nigerians in the diaspora to vote in future elections, he said “No,” adding: “We have weighed the benefit and cost of the exercise and we all agreed that the cost was far above the benefit.

“Therefore, we are not going to change that clause in the electoral act to allow Nigerians abroad to vote. And I understand that the Chairman of the National Electoral Commission, INEC, is trying to carry out pilot voting for Nigerians in four countries. If he tries that, he would be doing so against the law, and he must be ready to bear the consequence.”

Bastards. . . .Recurrent expenditure about to go even further up

Aswerigad, these guys are certified dolts.

They think that demarcating lands in boundaries will bring electricity, food  and build economy. Lmao 

doyin13:

Bastards. . . .Recurrent expenditure about to go even further up

true dat!

More states means only one thing: more opportunists, more political God-fathers, less money for much needed capital development

Who will chair their joint session or wld they b having co chair wit their colleagues in d Senate. Now they want 2 create states so they cn bcom Govs. Shame on them

More states, more governors, more LGA chairmen, more assembly men, more politicians, more corruption, more violence, more poverty, God save Nigeria

stop bitching and move for nairaland state

oyb:

stop bitching and move for nairaland state

LWKMD

Will the state be run by Arewa, Afenifere or Ohaneze?

They better not divide Igboland up anymore. Do it up north or in Yorubaland. Soon the Ngwa people will want their own state and the Ikwerre.

EzeUche:

They better not divide Igboland up anymore. Do it up north or in Yorubaland. Soon the Ngwa people will want their own state and the Ikwerre. 

Where is Becomericha to tell this guy the advantages of state replication?

A very interesting development. Does anyone know the geographical mass of the north and south? I have no reason to object to a fair sensible and honest creation of further states. However, i am quite keen to ensure that states are not being created out of a population of ten thousand people in the north or south whereas east and west where the population is over flowing and genuinely need new states are neglected. It is pointless getting 5000 people and giving them the status of a state while 1 million people in the other part of the country are bunched up and surviving on the same revenue as the state with 500 people. Nigeria belongs to us all and creation of states plus allocation and distribution of our assets and revenue must be equitable.

on a lighter note, i agree with the idea of a nairaland state. That will be awesome because it will be made up of people with character, intellect and common values. that will be the very begininning of true, genuine and lasting democracy in Nigeria. I suggest that we move a motion for this and forward it to the house of reps and senate. Opinions please.

Like most people, we knew that those rep are brainless. 36 states with nothing to show for it? why more state when all the creating are unviable institutions with size of local govt, and everyone becoming governor.

Maybe they want to allow Soludo, Andy Uba to be able to become of governor, that will be 3 states from Anambra.

Our House of comedy rep need a brain transplant. The ones they currently have never function ab intio. Useless people.

We are yet to take care of the one we have and yet they wanna create more?

Y'all be acting like the states are not important to you. Egba state, Oya state, Agaba state and Danbaba state are long overdue.

Egba state ko egba state ni. . . .

They can create more states with one proviso. . . . The new states will have to share the federal
largesse accruing to the states where they are carved from. So states that do not ''benefit'' from being
carved apart should not suffer.

instead of re-uniting,we are re-dividing.i only pray for divine intervention.

I would rather love to see us go back to the SW state, NE, SE, and NW instead of all the division nonsense.
But then, what do you expect when u have the kinda Reps that we have

Fhemmmy:

I would rather love to see us go back to the SW state, NE, SE, and NW instead of all the division nonsense.
But then, what do you expect when u have the kinda Reps that we have

What kind of Reps do we have?. Bankole, Chinweize and Etteh are upright men and women with noble cause, aren't they ?

Aloy+Emeka:

What kind of Reps do we have?. Bankole, Chinweize and Etteh are upright men and women with noble cause, aren't they ?

Read no evil and speak no evil, fhemmmy.
Hope we will for once make our voice heard by voting and voting our conscience and not our stomach

[size=15pt]WOW!![/size]

Wait a second . . . it is possible that some will argue that more states translate to more jobs and more opportunities . . . . I had to try ROFLMAO!!!!

what a visionless move, We should move towards re-intergration instead of futher division. Brainless Reps/Politicians

Fhemmmy:

I would rather love to see us go back to the SW state, NE, SE, and NW instead of all the division nonsense.
But then, what do you expect when u have the kinda Reps that we have

^^^^
Gbam!!!

And divide the fictional SS between the SE AND SW!!!

Only a stupid person would believe the lie. The deputy speaker is now know for telling lie and deceiving nigerian.

Good God! I hate divisions! 

Since Nigeria changed from three regions, things have never been the same. And when Gowon created 12 states, all hell broke loose! We have gone from divisions to more divisions ever since. Can't these idiots in the Nigerian congress use their heads for once?
Na wa o!  pissed off like crazy

[size=16pt]We need mergers of all these lame appendages into viable and autarkic regions. [/size]

Yeye people,all they loot our money for is causing more confusion by creating more useless states in chaos.

Why are you people trying so hard to block Thief Andy Uba from becoming a governor?

Kobojunkie:

[size=15pt]WOW!![/size]

Wait a second . . . it is possible that some will argue that more states translate to more jobs and more opportunities . . . . I had to try ROFLMAO!!!!

of course, u made a valid point

in as much as it will shoot up our running costs, we cannot argue it will bring some speedy development to the carved state.

Lokoja prior to the division between Kogi and Kwara isnt the same Lokoja today
look at the flip side and it might not totally be a disaster as you lot are making it sound

These people don get brain touch!!! Is that the next item on Nigeria's agenda?

People abroad will just be laughing at us!