Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo and his Abia counterpart, Alex Otti, expressed varied opinions on state creation at a public hearing on the 1999 Constitution Review on Saturday in Owerri.

While Mr Uzodimma advocated for the creation of additional states in the South-East, Mr Otti expressed reservations about creating 31 additional states.

Mr Uzodimma said that additional states for the South-East would promote equity and justice for the Igbo people and also address the perceived marginalisation of the region.

“Every other zone has six or more states,” the Imo governor said. “This imbalance has led to underrepresentation in critical national institutions, from the National Assembly to the Federal Executive Council.”

“Therefore, it’s only fair and just that we ask for the creation of at least two additional states in the South-East,” Mr Uzodimma added.

He specifically called for the creation of Anim State, saying it would boast of an oil-producing status upon creation. He added, “This makes it commercially viable, with a sufficient revenue base for self-sustenance.”

Mr Uzodimma said anyone born in a state or who has lived there for over 10 years should be considered a legitimate indigene of that state in the proposed constitutional amendments.

The governor further called for the constitutional entrenchment of a rotational presidency, “not along the ambiguous North–South divide, but along our six established geopolitical zones.”

He expressed the need for a decisive position on the issue of state police, saying the current centralised policing structure was overstretched and often disconnected from local realities.

“As the chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, I can confirm that we support the decentralisation of the police for greater responsiveness and effectiveness.

“The fear that governors will misuse such a force is unfounded and frankly outdated,” Mr Uzodimma said.

However, Mr Otti, represented by his deputy, Ikechukwu Emetu, cited concerns that additional states would overstretch Nigeria’s limited resources.

Instead, Mr Otti recommended inclusive governance within the existing states, advocating equitable resource allocation and political representation for all major clans and groups.

“I am more concerned about the additional burden these proposals, if adopted, would add to the lean resources of the nation through the multiplication of administrative costs and further bloating of an oversized bureaucracy.

“Except we can magically find independent sources of financing the new states outside what currently exists, I do not share the optimism of those promoting the idea of adding new states to the current 36-state structure,” he said.

Mr. Otti said Nigerians should be more concerned about improving the economic structure of the states, doubling efforts to create jobs for young people outside the civil service, and prioritising the welfare of the common man.

“The time has come to put the ordinary people at the centre of decision making,” he said.

He further said the present realities in the country made the creation of state police a matter of urgent national priority.

“So, I would vote for the creation of state police but with a provision that standards be clearly defined as it relates to leadership, relationship with federal and other sub-national policing structures, recruitments, accountability, and respect for human rights,” he said.

The Abia governor also endorsed the creation of additional seats for women in the national and state assemblies, stating that it would provide females with the opportunity to shape the character of Nigeria’s governance architecture.

Mr Otti called for caution and a holistic appreciation of the broad implications on the proposal to alter the provisions of the 1999 Constitution to establish the local government councils as a separate tier of government.

“We must be mindful of further bloating an already-overfed bureaucracy,” he said.

He called for the total adoption of the proposal seeking to make free and compulsory basic education a fundamental right of all citizens.

Deputy speaker and chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kanu, called for robust and rigorous participation from the Imo and Abia participants.

He said that since its inauguration in February 2024, the committee had embraced an approach rooted in transparency, broad consultation, and rigorous debate.

Mr Kanu also said the committee was currently considering 87 prioritised constitutional amendment bills, each touching on the most pressing issues facing the nation.

(NAN)