The demand for the creation of three local government areas from the existing Akoko-Edo local government council of Edo state has taken a fresh turn, with the Akoko-Edo Development Association (AEDA), also known as the Akoko-Edo Forum, reviving a proposal first made more than four decades ago.

The association is seeking the creation of Akoko-Edo North, Akoko-Edo Central and Akoko-Edo South, arguing that the current single local government structure has become inadequate for the area’s growing population, vast geographical spread and development needs.

The demand is contained in a position paper submitted to the Committee on Constitution Review, which is currently receiving memoranda from individuals, groups and organisations as part of the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution.

In a covering letter signed by the association’s chairman, Dr. Charles Jagun, AEDA said the proposed restructuring would bring government closer to the people and promote more equitable development across the area.

The association maintained that Akoko-Edo’s large and diverse population, coupled with its extensive geographical area, had made effective administration increasingly challenging under a single local government structure.

“We are confident that the creation of Akoko-Edo Central LGA, Akoko-Edo North and Akoko-Edo South LGAs will significantly benefit the people of Akoko-Edo,” Jagun stated.

Beyond the current constitutional review process, the demand has reopened an old chapter in Akoko-Edo’s political history.

According to AEDA, the proposal to divide the area into three local government councils dates back to May 1983, during the administration of the late Professor Ambrose Alli, then governor of Bendel State.

The association said the Bendel State Government under Alli had proposed the creation of Central Akoko-Edo, Akoko-Edo North and South Akoko-Edo.
But the proposal was never implemented before subsequent political and administrative changes altered the structure of local government administration in the state.

More than 40 years later, AEDA is seeking to revive the idea through the current constitutional review process.
The renewed campaign has consequently raised a fundamental question: what happened to the 1983 proposal, and why did Akoko-Edo remain a single local government area while other former divisions were progressively broken up?

AEDA has anchored its latest demand partly on the historical status of Akoko-Edo.

The group noted that Akoko-Edo was created in 1963, making it one of Nigeria’s oldest local government areas, with a significant historical and administrative heritage.

It explained that the former Akoko-Edo Division, alongside the former Afemai, Esan and Benin divisions, formed the areas that eventually became present-day Edo State.

According to the association, while the former Afemai Division was subsequently divided into five local government areas, the former Esan Division became five councils and the former Benin Division was split into seven, Akoko-Edo remained a single local government area.

For AEDA, the disparity has created an administrative imbalance that should now be addressed.

The association argued that the size and population of Akoko-Edo, as well as its economic and social potential, justified the establishment of additional local government councils.

The proposed division, according to the group, is not simply about drawing new administrative boundaries.

AEDA believes that three councils would create opportunities for improved governance, better access to government services and faster responses to the needs of communities scattered across the vast territory.

The association also argued that smaller administrative units would facilitate infrastructure development and enable the government to better identify and respond to the peculiar economic needs of different parts of Akoko-Edo.

It further maintained that the proposed councils could unlock the area’s socio-economic potential by bringing development planning and public administration closer to rural communities.

With the proposal now before the Constitution Review Committee, the long-standing agitation has entered another phase.

The association is asking the committee to consider the historical background of Akoko-Edo, its geographical size, population and development challenges in determining the viability of the proposed councils.

For supporters of the proposal, the current constitutional review presents another opportunity to correct what they regard as an administrative imbalance that has persisted for decades.

For Akoko-Edo, therefore, the issue is no longer simply about the creation of three local government areas. It is also about revisiting a proposal that originated in 1983, survived successive administrations and has now resurfaced more than four decades later.

Whether the current constitutional review process will finally give life to the long-abandoned Akoko-Edo North, Central and South proposal remains to be seen.

But one thing is clear: the 1983 idea that never materialised has returned to the centre of Akoko-Edo’s campaign for a new administrative structure.