Mixed reactions as Reps pass bill to create new S’east state
Mixed reactions have trailed the passage of a bill to establish a new state in the southeastern region by the Nigerian House of Representatives.
The bill to create Orlu state which passed its first reading, was sponsored by Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere (Ideato North South, Imo State), along with other co-sponsoring lawmakers.
According to the draft bill, the creation of Orlu State will amend the 1999 Constitution, increasing the number of states in Nigeria from 36 to 37.
The new state, with Orlu as its capital city, will be created from portions of Imo, Abia, and Anambra states.
The bill seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution by adding a new paragraph to include 28 local government areas.
These areas are Orlu, Orsu, Oru West, Oru East, Ideato North, Ideato South, Njaba, Nkwerre, Nwangele, Isu, Oguta, Ohaji Egbema, Onuimo, Ihiala, Uga, Uli, Ozubulu, Akokwa, Arondizuogu, Umuchu, Umunze, Umuaku, New Ideato North, Nwabosi West, Nwabosi East, Owerre Nkworji, Alaoma, Amaifeke, and Owerrebiri Umuowa.
Ugochinyere, the primary sponsor of the bill, urged his fellow members of the National Assembly to back the legislation to ensure its successful passage during the second reading.
He suggested that the establishment of Orlu State could result in the formation of Ideato as a senatorial district.
Reacting, a two-time Minister for Education and Health, Professor Ihechukwu Madubuike noted that the demands for a new state have already been dealt with at the 2014 confab.
According to him, “Definitely there is a crying need for an additional state for the South East. We have already dealt with that in both 2005 Obasanjo confab and Jonathan’s confab in 2014. We agreed on a consensus state.
“So, these lawmakers have to find out what is there before they begin their own exercise. For them to do anything meaningful, they should go to confab report so that they won’t create a problem for us in the South East. They should find out what has already been agreed.
“What they have done hasn’t made any reference to the historical and monumental decision we took at the constitutional conference based on consensus,” he said.
