The Senate has reacted the claim that the National Assembly has passed a proposal for 31 new states in Nigeria
Adaramodu’s comment was a response to a viral message on WhatsApp, making the claim that the Senate has passed the bill to create 31 new states across the country.
In February 2025, the House of Representatives said it had received proposals to create 31 new states in Nigeria..…CONTINUE READING
Yemi Adaramadu, the spokesperson of the Senate, denied the report, adding that the Legislative chamber cannot create the states alone and that it would pass through various stages of constitutional amendment.
According to the BBC Pidgin, Adaramodu explained that the proposal to create a new state must get the approval of the two-thirds majority of the national and state houses of assembly, stating that such is the thorough process.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Kalu, the chairman of the committee on constitutional review, disclosed that the proposal suggested the creation of six states in the North Central, North East has four proposals, North West and South East have five each. Four states are proposed in the South-South and seven in the South West.
If the proposal is approved by the National Assembly, Nigeria would have 67 states, bigger than the current 50 states that the United States currently has. It was yet to be clarified when the process would be concluded, as Senator Adaramodu explained that it was a long process that involved several stages of constitutional amendment.
Analyst reacts to the proposed 31 new states
However, the proposal has been condemned by Rotimi Sulyman, stating that it was not the next thing for Nigeria, as he advocated for true federalism. Rotimi commented in an exclusive interview with legit.
He said: “I don’t think the idea serves any productive purpose. To what end would the creation of more 31 states be, when the existing 36 states are mostly not viable and live on handouts from the federal government?
“I think if we are serious, we should be talking of true federalism to the letter, which would entail every part of the country harnessing its resources for economic and national developments.”
