The Bauchi State Government has signed a new law creating an additional 29 local government areas, while seeking the National Assembly’s approval for ratification in the ongoing constitution amendment.
In a document obtained by our Correspondent, Governor Bala Mohammed had, on October 28, 2025, signed the legislation while the acting deputy clerk of the House, Musa Yerima, sent the proposal to the Committee on Constitution Review.
Currently, Bauchi State has 20 local government areas recognised by the 1999 Constitution. With the proposed 29 additional local government areas, the state, with an estimated population of about 10 million, will have 49 LGAs.
The deputy clerk, in his letter to Senator Barau Jibrin the Chairman, House Committee on Constitution Review, wrote, “I am pleased to inform you that the Bauchi State House of Assembly has passed into Law, a bill to provide for the creation of 29 new additional local government areas in Bauchi State, 2025.
“The additional local government areas are inchoate until such time as the National Assembly shall pass an Act to make consequential provisions with respect to the names of the said additional local government areas as provided for under Section 8(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The said Law is hereby forwarded to the Chairman, Joint Committee on Constitution Review Committee, National Assembly, for further necessary action, please.”
Yerima said that the Law has been passed in accordance with Sub-Section 3 of Section 100 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
In other news, months ago, a human rights activist and lawyer, Niyi Aborisade, faulted a former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola’s comment on local government autonomy.
Recall that Fashola had, in a live interview, said that local government autonomy was not realistic. Reacting to Fashola’s comment, Aborisade said autonomy was feasible at the grassroots level, lamenting that governors had arrogated local government chairmen’s powers to themselves. He maintained that the Supreme Court’s 2024 verdict had underscored the need for autonomy.
Aborisade, who was a governorship aspirant in Oyo State in 2027 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), emphasised that there must be political will to make local councils autonomous and to engender development at the grassroots.
