In a historic move aimed at correcting long-standing regional imbalance, the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Constitution Review has approved the creation of an additional state in Nigeria’s South East geopolitical zone.The decision, reached at the end of a two-day retreat in Lagos, will increase the number of states in the South East from five to six — aligning the zone more closely with others that currently have six or seven states.

The retreat, chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, and co-chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, deliberated on 55 separate proposals for state creation submitted from across the country.Kalu, who has been one of the most vocal advocates for a sixth state in the South East, said principles of equity, justice, and fairness drove the approval. “This decision is not about politics or sentiment.

It is about fairness to a region that has, for too long, been short-changed in the federation’s structure,” Kalu said.The motion for the new state was moved by Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) and seconded by Hon. Ibrahim Isiaka (Ifo/Ewekoro, Ogun State). It received unanimous approval from the joint committee.In a related development, the committee also constituted a subcommittee to further consider the creation of additional states and local government areas across all six geopolitical zones.

The body is expected to review a total of 278 proposals that have already been submitted for consideration.In his closing remarks, Senator Barau Jibrin urged members of the committee to begin consultations and advocacy within both chambers of the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly to ensure the resolution succeeds when put to a constitutional vote.

“We need to strengthen what we have started so that all parts of the country will key into this process,” Jibrin said. “By the time we get to the actual voting, we should already have the buy-in of all stakeholders—from both chambers and the State Houses of Assembly.

“The move marks a significant step toward addressing the long-standing demand for parity among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, a demand that has featured prominently in past constitutional amendment efforts.While the name and boundaries of the proposed new state were not disclosed, sources at the retreat said the subcommittee would finalise details and engage relevant stakeholders before presenting a harmonised recommendation to the full committee.

If eventually approved by two-thirds of the National Assembly and at least 24 State Houses of Assembly, the new state would officially become the 37th in the Nigerian federation.