Former Senator Shehu Sani has slammed the House of Representatives‘ proposal to create 31 new states in Nigeria, calling it “ironic and comical.” According to him, most states cannot even survive without federal allocation, yet lawmakers are eager to carve out “mini colonies” for themselves.
The proposal, presented by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu during Thursday’s plenary, has sparked outrage. With the country battling economic collapse, insecurity, and unemployment, Nigerians are asking: is state creation really the priority?
The Same Politicians Who Changed the National Anthem
This is the same set of lawmakers who woke up one morning and decided that changing the national anthem was more important than tackling poverty, banditry, and the falling naira. Now, instead of fixing roads, improving security, or funding education, they want to divide the country into smaller, weaker, and more dependent states—because, of course, more states mean more governors, more commissioners, more budgets to loot, and more political power to share among their cronies.
Let’s not forget the joke of a leadership we voted into power. Did Nigerians elect people who reason? Because at this point, it’s hard to tell. Instead of working on policies that actually benefit the people, they are focused on meaningless distractions while the country burns.
The List of Proposed States—A Wasteful Agenda
The proposal includes Okun, Okura, Confluence, Benue Ala, Apa, FCT State, Amana, Katagum, Savannah, Muri, New Kaduna, Gujarat, Tiga, Ari, Kainji, Etiti, Orashi, Adada, Orlu, Aba, Ogoja, Warri, Ori, Obolo, Torumbe, Ibadan, Lagoon, Ogun, Ijebu, and Oke Ogun/Ijesha.
How do you look at a country where citizens are struggling to afford basic needs and decide that state creation is the biggest priority?
This isn’t legislation, it’s a national embarrassment. The same lawmakers who should be fixing Nigeria’s security problems are instead playing cartographers, dividing land that can barely sustain itself. The joke writes itself.
