News

National Assembly Considers Creation Of 55 New States, 278 LGAs

BySodiq Lawal

PublishedOctober 24, 2025

The National Assembly has commenced deliberations on sweeping constitutional amendments that could pave the way for the creation of 55 new states and 278 additional local government areas across Nigeria.

The disclosure was made by Ismail Mudashir, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day joint retreat of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on the Review of the 1999 Constitution in Lagos, Senator Barau reaffirmed the legislature’s commitment to delivering “people-centred and timely” constitutional reforms.

Barau, who chairs the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, urged lawmakers to maintain focus on national interest as they deliberate on far-reaching proposals, including state creation, boundary adjustments, and local government restructuring.

“It has been a long journey to bring the Senate and House of Representatives’ constitution amendment proposals that cut across several sections and deal with different subject matters,” Barau said.

“We have been in this process for the past two years, engaging stakeholders, civil society, and interest groups. Altogether, we now have 69 bills, 55 state creation requests, two boundary adjustments, and 278 local government creation requests.”

He emphasized that while achieving consensus within two days might be challenging, lawmakers remain determined to transmit the first set of amendment bills to the state Houses of Assembly before the end of the year.

Barau, who also serves as the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, called for patriotism and unity among committee members, warning against divisive tendencies during the review process.

“We are seated here as one committee. There should be no ‘we’ and ‘them’; we must be guided by the interests of Nigerians,” he stated.

The ongoing review marks another attempt by the National Assembly to amend the 1999 Constitution, a process that has often faced hurdles due to political disagreements, regional interests, and the need for approval from at least two-thirds of the 36 state assemblies.

The last major constitution amendment exercise by the Ninth Assembly achieved limited success, passing key reforms like financial autonomy for state legislatures and the judiciary, while other proposals such as state police and local government autonomy failed to scale through.

Sodiq Lawal

Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.