The House of Representatives Constitution Review Committee’s proposed creation of 31 additional states besides the country’s 36 existing states has sparked widespread reactions from prominent Nigerians and groups across the country.

The proposal was contained in a letter to the House of Representatives read during Thursday’s plenary by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the session in the absence of the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.

However, the proposal was rejected by the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, and its northern counterpart, the Arewa Consultative Forum, which described it as ridiculous.

Reacting, the National Organising Secretary of Afenifere, Abagun Kole Omololu, said: “Instead of addressing the core structural issues plaguing Nigeria, this initiative appears to be a mere political exercise that will further weaken governance and deepen economic inefficiencies.’’

Omololu noted, “The creation of more states without a viable economic foundation will only compound the financial burden on the nation, as many existing states are already struggling to generate sufficient Internally Generated Revenue and rely heavily on federal allocations to survive.

‘’Turning every local government into a state is not the solution to Nigeria’s governance challenges.

The real issue is not the number of states but the dysfunctional federal structure that has concentrated power at the centre, stifling regional development.’

’ Instead of proliferating states that may later be unviable, Afenifere urged the National Assembly to focus on constitutional reforms that would devolve power, return resource control to the regions, and grant states the autonomy to develop at their own pace.

On its part, the Arewa Consultative Forum similarly expressed strong opposition to the proposed creation of 31 new states, describing the idea as unnecessary.

The National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Prof Tukur Muhammad-Baba, stated that the forum was not in support of the proposed creation of new states, citing the country’s complexity and the potential for creating more problems.

According to him, the more states created, the more demands that will emerge, leading to more acrimonies.

He questioned the economic viability of the existing 36 states, highlighting the administrative burdens and overhead costs associated with governorship and civil service.

The ACF spokesperson, emphasised that creating new states would be too expensive and unnecessary, and would only provide opportunities for the elite to assume leadership positions without necessarily improving the economic viability of the states.

He said, “We have not seen the details of the proposed states, but it’s ridiculous. How long are we going to be creating states and creating problems in this country?

“How many of the 36 states are viable economically? How many of the states can carry the administrative burdens of governorship and all it takes – the civil service and the amount of expenditure on overhead?