Bode George has reacted to the 31 new states’ proposal and called for true federalism.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has strongly opposed calls for the creation of 31 additional states in Nigeria, describing the move as unsustainable and ineffective in addressing the country’s challenges.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday, George argued that state creation would neither solve the nation’s structural problems nor foster meaningful development.
His remarks came in response to a recent statement by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Benjamin Kalu, who revealed that the House had received proposals for the creation of 31 new states.
Kalu, who also chairs the House Constitution Review Committee, disclosed that the proposed states include:
North Central: Okun, Okura, and Confluence (Kogi); Benue Ala and Apa (Benue); FCT State.
North East: Amana (Adamawa); Katagum (Bauchi); Savannah (Borno); Muri (Taraba).
North West: New Kaduna and Gurara (Kaduna); Tiga and Ari (Kano); Kainji (Kebbi).
South East: Adada (Enugu); Orlu (Imo); Aba (Abia); Etiti and Urashi.
South South: Ogoja (Cross River); Warri (Delta); Ori and Obolo (Rivers).
South West: Torumbe (Ondo); Ibadan (Oyo); Lagoon (Lagos/Ogun); Ijebu (Ogun); Oke Ogun/Ijesha (Oyo/Ogun/Osun).
Despite these proposals, many political stakeholders have dismissed the idea as unnecessary. George echoed this sentiment, insisting that Nigeria’s focus should be on restructuring rather than creating more states.
“Don’t tell me we should create more states. Forget about more states. We want to create more states, and then everybody will be rushing to Abuja. This is not sustainable,” George asserted.
He emphasised the importance of adopting a federal structure that truly empowers states, drawing comparisons with the American system.
“Let us look at our federal structure first, the same federal system we run with America. Why are we not running it as they run theirs?
“Go to New York City, the Mayor of New York controls the airport—the John Kennedy Airport—he controls the ports, the seaports. The Mayor of New York, not the governor.
“Go to New Orleans, the mayor there controls the ports. The same in Texas; all oil companies are not controlled by the President. That is federalism. Those people don’t run to Washington every hour to meet the President.
“In America, they have state police and even county police. Why can’t we have such here? The creation of more states is not sustainable. What we need now is to address the problems in our federal structure,” he said.
George further called for the devolution of power, stressing that empowering states would catalyse national development.
He also expressed dissatisfaction with the current constitution, describing it as dysfunctional and advocating for a complete overhaul.
“The present constitution is not working. There is too much power at the centre, leaving states and local governments helpless and incapacitated.”
He emphasised that Nigeria is endowed with abundant resources across all regions but argued that centralised governance has hindered effective utilisation.
“There is no state in this country that the Almighty has not endowed. It is either agriculture, minerals, or human resources.
“But the constitution of this country is not right. We need to revisit it and allow all those states to manage their resources.
“That is the beginning of the cleansing of this country. Nothing is working because the foundation is faulty,” he stated.
George urged the federal government to adopt the 2014 National Conference (Confab) recommendations as a pathway to achieving true federalism and addressing Nigeria’s governance challenges.
