Two university professors have offered sharply contrasting perspectives on the proposed creation of new states in Nigeria, amid ongoing public hearings on constitutional amendments.
Prof. Isaac Albert, a historian from the University of Ibadan, criticised the push for additional states, arguing that Nigeria’s current 36-state structure is already unsustainable.
“The existing states can barely support themselves,” Albert said. “What we have now is a feeding bottle federalism. Adding more states will only increase Nigeria’s burden.”
He advocated for a return to the regional system of governance, which he believes would give regions the autonomy to develop their own economies and manage security effectively.
“Unless it is to correct an existing imbalance such as giving the South-East an additional state to equalise with other zones I see no justification for creating more states,” he added.
In contrast, Prof. Gbade Ojo, a political scientist at the University of Ilorin, expressed support for the creation of new states and local government areas, citing the challenges of managing overly large states.
He called on the National Assembly to provide clear criteria for state creation, such as population size or land mass, to ensure fairness and transparency in the process.
“Returning to regionalism is no longer realistic,” Ojo argued. “We’ve outgrown that model. Each state should be autonomous, receive its share of national allocation, and generate internal revenue for development just like in Canada or the U.S.”
He emphasized that while regional structures may have worked in the past, modern governance demands a decentralized approach within the current federal system.
Meanwhile, recent online claims that the Senate had approved the creation of 12 new states have been debunked. The Senate Committee on Constitutional Review clarified that the issue is still under consideration, as part of broader consultations ongoing across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
