Rep proposes bill to create three new states in South-west

Oluwole Oke, a member of the house of representatives, is proposing a bill to create three new states in the south-west geopolitical zone.

Oke, who represents Obokun/Oriade federal constituency of Osun state, chairs the house committee on judiciary.

The bill proposes to amend the first schedule, part I of the constitution to create three new states — Oke-Ogun, Ijebu, and Ife-Ijesa states.

The draft bill proposes that Oke-Ogun state, with Iseyin as its proposed capital city, will comprise 12 LGAs.

According to the bill shared with TheCable by Oke, Ijebu state, upon creation, will consist of nine LGAs with Ijebu Ode as its capital, while Ife Ijesa state is set to be composed of 11 LGAs, with Ile-Ife as its capital city.

The bill, addressed to the clerk of the house of representatives and dated February 6, is expected to be listed for first reading.

If the bill scales through and is passed into law, the south-west will have the highest numbers of states among the six geopolitical zones.

Nigeria currently has 36 states created during the military era.

LEGISLATIVE HURDLES

The national assembly is currently amending the 1999 constitution.

In January, Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, said work on the amendment of the 1999 constitution would be completed in December 2025.