Another Look At States Creation

If the decision of the Na
tional Conference on the creation of additional states in the country will stand, Nigeria will become a federation with 55 states and a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, in Abuja. But it is doubtful if this will ever materialize as the idea is generating intense rancor within the conference itself which on July 3, recommended that 19 new states be created, with three in each geo-political zone and an extra one in the South East.
The resentment has pitched some northern leaders against their southern counterparts with the former threatening to pull out of the confab over what they regard as a sinister ploy by southern leaders to hoodwink them. This divide is creating huge concern in a country still trying to come to terms with the challenges of nation-building.
From all indications, the endorsement of those proposed new states did not go down well with the northern leaders, particularly the governors who had reached out to the delegates to rescind their decision to no avail. Currently, the north, which is made up of 20 states, including the FCT, has the highest number of states, and that gives it an unfair advantage over others.
Apparently, the northern leaders do not want the status quo to change. Not only were their arguments hinged on the fact that they were not consulted before the delegates arrived at the states to be created, they were at a loss as to the criteria that were used for selecting them; and they felt shortchanged. While they were cajoling their southern counterparts, the delegates from the south were making overtures to the minorities in the north.
If the current showdown is anything to go by, it is very explicit that Nigerians are divided over the issue. But an interesting aspect of that division is that it is hinged on sectional rather national interest. While northern leaders perceive the proposed creation of the 19 states as an attempt to tinker with the status quo, their southern counterparts believe that the creation of new states is an opportunity to redress the imbalance that had hitherto favoured the north.
However, some Nigerians believe that it is illogical to create more states since 90 percent of the existing ones are not viable and depend on federal allocation for survival.
A report released by the National Bureau of Statistics in December 2013 based on the analysis of internally generated revenue, IGR, by state governments between 2010 and 2012, indicated that only Lagos, Rivers and Delta States can cope with the huge cost of running government without allocation from the centre. Others are merely struggling. For instance, Bayelsa, despite its huge oil deposits and oil wells could not post up to N56 billion IGR in a year. The report also said majority of the states, such as Yobe, are highly indebted.
Given the foregoing analysis, I think it is unsafe for us to create new states at the moment because it would compound our problems. Nigeria of our dream is not Nigeria with more states but a Nigeria in good state. The poser is: is there a need to create more states? Shall we create more states to solve a problem? Will more states solve the issues of marginalisation? What then happens when others feel marginalised within the new states? Shall we have more states created then?
I believe it is wrong to create more states when the existing ones are battling with something as basic as salary payment. Though logically the South East deserves to be given a state to square up with other regions, on a general principle if we continue in the way we go about state creation, we will end up creating states in each local government area. This will persist as long as people see state as a basis for sharing and taking revenue.
Until we get to the stage where we make our states work and create wealth, every hamlet will continue to clamour for state creation. While I support the legitimate case of the South East, we cannot continue with the loads of requests for states creation when the existing ones go to Abuja for monthly allocation.
Creating more states will do more harm than good to our democracy, as it would lead to increase in the cost of governance. We should learn a lesson from the past that there is no end to the demand for state creation. Every time a new state is created, a new group within the new state will begin their agitation for another one and this goes without end. New states must come into existence with clear point for their survival.
I disagree with the view that additional states will take government closer to the people. Let us remember that our constitution provides for states to create local governments. So if the argument is to bring governance closer to the people, we should then look at the possibility of creating more local governments instead of states. Therefore I think states that have no IGR to rely on, have no business existing.

Arnold Alalibo