Senator Backs State Creation

Senator Ayogu Eze (PDP-Enugu) has said that the idea of creating new states to bring government closer to the people is a viable option for economic development.

Eze, who stated this on Monday in Abuja while briefing newsmen, said that every state in the country was very viable.

He said that there was no state without one comparative advantage or the other in terms of economic potential.

“There is no state in Nigeria that is not viable. Some have potential in agriculture, some have in liquid minerals, some in solid minerals and some in tourism.”

Eze said this was what informed the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to identify Nigeria as an investment destination country.

He said that the argument that creating more states was not desirable because existing states were not viable was not accurate.

A motion on the looming bankruptcy of some states in the Senate on October 27 had led some senators to call for the merger of some states.

Mover of the motion, Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi (ACN -Ekiti), had said a survey by the Nigerian Governors Forum showed that six states were approaching financial distress while 14 others were in critical economic conditions.

Eze, however, said that what was happening in a number of states was due to the fact that they had yet to explore the resources within their environments.

“I believe that what has happened is that a number of states have not been able to explore the resources within their states.

“And after our debate on that day, many states disassociated themselves from the statistics that were attributed to them.”

Citing the situation in other countries, Eze said the revenue formula should be reviewed to give states an opportunity to take responsibility of mineral deposits within their geopolitical confines.

“These states will now pay royalties to the Federal Government. A lot of us have always said the centre is too strong and too attractive.

“We need to devolve power to the states as it obtains in other countries and other democracies. With this, even if we create 100 states, we will conveniently support them.”

He urged Nigerians to support the creation of new states as this would accelerate growth and development in the country.