The National Assembly has commenced deliberations on a far-reaching constitutional amendment aimed at creating 55 new states and 278 additional local government areas across the country.
The proposal, which has already generated intense interest within political circles, seeks to address what lawmakers described as the “imbalance in state and local government representation” across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
Sources at the National Assembly disclosed that the amendment process began on Friday with preliminary discussions held by the Constitution Review Committee, chaired by the Deputy Senate President.
The proposal reportedly received strong backing from lawmakers across both chambers, particularly those representing marginalized regions seeking greater administrative autonomy.
If approved, the development would increase Nigeria’s current 36 states to 91 and expand the number of local government areas from 774 to over 1,000, marking the most ambitious restructuring of Nigeria’s federal system since independence.
Supporters of the move argue that it would promote grassroots development, equity, and fair representation, while critics warn that the expansion could worsen governance costs and deepen administrative inefficiency.
The proposal is expected to undergo public hearings in the coming weeks, after which it will proceed to state assemblies for concurrence as required by Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution.
The debate, already trending on social media, is seen as a major test of Nigeria’s political will to revisit its long-standing calls for restructuring and true federalism.
