ON STATE CREATION & ‘PURPORTED’ NIGERIAN ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING BILL 2021 – AND WHY I SUPPORT THE CREATION OF MORE STATES
March 11, 2021 | News
I am sure many of us must have seen or heard about the “purported kite being flown by the Federal Government,” entitled ‘Nigerian Economic Restructuring Bill 2021’ being circulated online, which has generated a lot of mixed reactions amongst stakeholders across the nation, especially pertaining to the creation of additional States in Nigeria.
ON STATE CREATION & ‘PURPORTED’ NIGERIAN ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING BILL 2021 – AND WHY I SUPPORT THE CREATION OF MORE STATES
I am sure many of us must have seen or heard about the “purported kite being flown by the Federal Government,” entitled ‘Nigerian Economic Restructuring Bill 2021’ being circulated online, which has generated a lot of mixed reactions amongst stakeholders across the nation, especially pertaining to the creation of additional States in Nigeria. Its author, one Ayo Akinfe, had claimed that with the bill, Nigeria would have 42 States, with Seven per geo-political zone. Akinfe inferred that South-South would have: Bayelsa State – Yenagoa, Urhobo State – Orerokpe, Rivers State - Port Harcourt, Cross River State – Calabar, Akwa Ibom State – Uyo, Edo State – Benin, Delta State – Warri. And according to him, each State will be responsible for creating and funding their respective Local Governments. Then, Federating Units will control all the resources within their domains and remit 50% to the centre.
While there are so many issues raised that can be discussed here, however, the authenticity of the contents of the said ‘Nigerian Economic Restructuring Bill 2021’, as purported by Akinfe, is one that many of us are still in doubt because Nigerians do not know for certainty, if what was said by Akinfe in his well-circulated piece, is the exact thing being deliberated and approved by the Nigerian National Assembly. Be that as it may, the said piece has generated a lot of arguments here and there amongst Nigerian stakeholders.
Some have argued that Nigeria’s problem is not the Creation of more States as seen in the said purported Restructuring Bill. Now, while this line of argument may be objectively right to some extent, but I believe the other line of argument that supports the creation of more States, has more valid points in addressing some of the underlining problems within the Nigerian polity.
For one, creation of more States accelerates developments across the country, as we have seen in the past with the existing States that were created in the country. For example, the current city of Asaba the capital of Delta State, was once a village before the creation of Delta State from the then Bendel State in 1991. But today Asaba has an Airport, and other modern structures. Another example is the Old Anambra State that was created in 1976 from part of East Central State, and its capital then was Enugu. But in 1991, a re-organization divided Anambra into two States, Anambra and Enugu, and because of that, Awka, which was just a village then in Anambra, became well-developed today as the capital of the State. And so it is with Yenogoa of Bayelsa State, as well as other places across the country that were once villages, before the creation of more States brought about their development to the modern cities we see them as today.
In other words, the creation of more States is the surest and easiest way to bring about development closest to local communities. And also bring the State Government nearer to the people. With the State Government nearer to the people, it is believed that it becomes easier to have the Government address the needs of the people faster. It will make the State Government to be more focused in a particular geographical as its State, to create the conducive atmosphere that would attract private businesses to thrive. Instead having big geographical areas that they will be struggling to cater for in terms of infrastructural developments. Also, the creation of new States will lead to the establishment of new Governments and Public Institutions (not Schools), that would obviously create more job opportunities for the people.
One other important factor about creation of more States, is that it will help address some of the existing animosities, grievances, crises, disagreements and differences between and amongst ethnic nationalities, especially those across the geopolitical zones in the Southern parts of Nigeria. These and many more, are some of the reasons I agree that the Creation of more States, especially at this time, is a welcome development that would address a lot of things in the country’s quest for development.
And if the States will have the autonomy to be in-charge of their resources and pay royalties to the Central Government, I think that too, is a welcome development. The only thing we all should be praying for, is for our political leaders, especially those in the South-South, to be responsible in their statutory roles, and accountable to the people. As we all know, one of the major problems we have with the political leaders, is their ‘attitude and mindset’ towards Government/Public Service. Many of the politicians go into Government with the wrong attitude and mindset, hence we see all the problems they cause. Government is no longer seen as a place of SERVICE, but rather as a place where they can become billionaires and ‘State Emperors’ who are not answerable to the people. This is the real problem of Nigeria, which we pray to see changed someday.
With all that has been happening in the country in the last two decades, I totally agree with the fact that Nigeria needs Restructuring. And since the Creation of States is tied to the restructuring of the country, and seen as an important component to the restructuring call, then it makes more sense for more States to be created as stated above. Looking at the said Akinfe’s piece which stated that part of the States to be created in the South-South is Urhobo State, and its capital will be in Orerokpe, in my own opinion, the Delta Central, which is also the Urhobolands, is long overdue to be created as a State for the Urhobos in the South-South. The entire Urhoboland is big enough to be a full-fledged State of its own.
I believe only time will tell, how all of this will play out, especially when the Federal lawmakers will finally make known by themselves, the real content of the said ‘Nigerian Economic Restructuring Bill 2021.’ And when that happens, and it tallies with that of Akinfe, then we would have more things to say on the way forward.
Zik Gbemre.
March 11, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
I am sure many of us must have seen or heard about the “purported kite being flown by the Federal Government,” entitled ‘Nigerian Economic Restructuring Bill 2021’ being circulated online, which has generated a lot of mixed reactions amongst stakeholders across the nation, especially pertaining to the creation of additional States in Nigeria. Its author, one Ayo Akinfe, had claimed that with the bill, Nigeria would have 42 States, with Seven per geo-political zone. Akinfe inferred that South-South would have: Bayelsa State – Yenagoa, Urhobo State – Orerokpe, Rivers State - Port Harcourt, Cross River State – Calabar, Akwa Ibom State – Uyo, Edo State – Benin, Delta State – Warri. And according to him, each State will be responsible for creating and funding their respective Local Governments. Then, Federating Units will control all the resources within their domains and remit 50% to the centre.
While there are so many issues raised that can be discussed here, however, the authenticity of the contents of the said ‘Nigerian Economic Restructuring Bill 2021’, as purported by Akinfe, is one that many of us are still in doubt because Nigerians do not know for certainty, if what was said by Akinfe in his well-circulated piece, is the exact thing being deliberated and approved by the Nigerian National Assembly. Be that as it may, the said piece has generated a lot of arguments here and there amongst Nigerian stakeholders.
Some have argued that Nigeria’s problem is not the Creation of more States as seen in the said purported Restructuring Bill. Now, while this line of argument may be objectively right to some extent, but I believe the other line of argument that supports the creation of more States, has more valid points in addressing some of the underlining problems within the Nigerian polity.
For one, creation of more States accelerates developments across the country, as we have seen in the past with the existing States that were created in the country. For example, the current city of Asaba the capital of Delta State, was once a village before the creation of Delta State from the then Bendel State in 1991. But today Asaba has an Airport, and other modern structures. Another example is the Old Anambra State that was created in 1976 from part of East Central State, and its capital then was Enugu. But in 1991, a re-organization divided Anambra into two States, Anambra and Enugu, and because of that, Awka, which was just a village then in Anambra, became well-developed today as the capital of the State. And so it is with Yenogoa of Bayelsa State, as well as other places across the country that were once villages, before the creation of more States brought about their development to the modern cities we see them as today.
In other words, the creation of more States is the surest and easiest way to bring about development closest to local communities. And also bring the State Government nearer to the people. With the State Government nearer to the people, it is believed that it becomes easier to have the Government address the needs of the people faster. It will make the State Government to be more focused in a particular geographical as its State, to create the conducive atmosphere that would attract private businesses to thrive. Instead having big geographical areas that they will be struggling to cater for in terms of infrastructural developments. Also, the creation of new States will lead to the establishment of new Governments and Public Institutions (not Schools), that would obviously create more job opportunities for the people.
One other important factor about creation of more States, is that it will help address some of the existing animosities, grievances, crises, disagreements and differences between and amongst ethnic nationalities, especially those across the geopolitical zones in the Southern parts of Nigeria. These and many more, are some of the reasons I agree that the Creation of more States, especially at this time, is a welcome development that would address a lot of things in the country’s quest for development.
And if the States will have the autonomy to be in-charge of their resources and pay royalties to the Central Government, I think that too, is a welcome development. The only thing we all should be praying for, is for our political leaders, especially those in the South-South, to be responsible in their statutory roles, and accountable to the people. As we all know, one of the major problems we have with the political leaders, is their ‘attitude and mindset’ towards Government/Public Service. Many of the politicians go into Government with the wrong attitude and mindset, hence we see all the problems they cause. Government is no longer seen as a place of SERVICE, but rather as a place where they can become billionaires and ‘State Emperors’ who are not answerable to the people. This is the real problem of Nigeria, which we pray to see changed someday.
With all that has been happening in the country in the last two decades, I totally agree with the fact that Nigeria needs Restructuring. And since the Creation of States is tied to the restructuring of the country, and seen as an important component to the restructuring call, then it makes more sense for more States to be created as stated above. Looking at the said Akinfe’s piece which stated that part of the States to be created in the South-South is Urhobo State, and its capital will be in Orerokpe, in my own opinion, the Delta Central, which is also the Urhobolands, is long overdue to be created as a State for the Urhobos in the South-South. The entire Urhoboland is big enough to be a full-fledged State of its own.
I believe only time will tell, how all of this will play out, especially when the Federal lawmakers will finally make known by themselves, the real content of the said ‘Nigerian Economic Restructuring Bill 2021.’ And when that happens, and it tallies with that of Akinfe, then we would have more things to say on the way forward.
Zik Gbemre.
March 11, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes