Nigerians were on their own, busy navigating the economic hardship that is ravaging the nation, when all of a sudden, reports alleging that the reps received proposals to create 31 new states across the country’s six geopolitical zones surfaced.
This report sparked immediate controversy as many Nigerians rushed the front seat to play judge over the issue.
Well, the Federal Government has come out to clarify these controversies.
To the presidency, the House of Representatives did not propose the creation of 31 new states, as widely reported.
Make no mistake, the said proposals to create 31 new states were read by the Chairman of the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, in the Green Chamber during plenary.
Deputy Speaker Kalu also read a letter from the committee during plenary, outlining the conditions that must be met before any state creation requests can be approved.
According to the Committee, the proposals include 5 from the North Central region, 4 from the North East region, 5 from the North West region, 5 from the South East region, 4 from the South South region, and 7 from the South West region.
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The proposal has since generated outrage among many Nigerians and political elites.
FG Vs Journalists
However, in a post via X, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajaiyi, clarified that the House only made public the number of proposals for creating more states it has received from various interest and lobby groups.
He wrote: “There was obvious media misreporting of what happened at the House of Representatives yesterday per creation of states. The House of Representatives didn’t propose creation of 31 states.
“It is important to state clearly that the House only made public the number of proposals for creation of more states it has received from various interest and lobby groups.
“Journalists should do well to report issues correctly. To think that many of the reporters covering the National Assembly have covered the parliament for over 20 years. One would expect that journalists covering the NASS should have mastered parliamentary procedures.”
