South-East Of Nigeria As Its Own Albatross.
Tuesday (Afor) 22-07-2025.
Inequality brings about injustice and the latter gives room to social inequilibrum. In such a circumstance, peace is affected and development deterred.
1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, has, at various times, been considered to be obtuse. In many ways, it went out of notable principles of Federalism, which the Founding Fathers of the country had enunciated via the 1963 Republican Constitution. In true Federalism, for instance, Local Government Councils or Counties are not created by the Central Government but by the Confederating Units, such as Regions or States. Regions establish and maintain their own Police. Mineral and Natural Resources are harnessed and controlled by Governments of the Regions they are located in. In Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, the reverse is the case.
Specifically of striking importance, is unjust inequality in the number of States in each of the ‘Six Regions’ of Nigeria. While the 1999 Constitution, being a brainchild of Northern Nigerian- dominated Military, created Seven States in the North-West, and Six States in each of North-Central, North-East, South-South and South-West, it, in a way to disparage the People of the South-East, only created five States, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, for them. This is unjustifiable marginalisation of the South-East and is, to all intents and purposes, unacceptable. Even from a wider perspective, the South is also marginalised by this inequality of States. Why should the North have Nineteen States while the South that has more than 80% of the resources that sustain Nigeria have only Seventeen States?
In the Nigerian constitutional trajectory, the most unjust is found in the number of Local Government Council Areas. While the North has a total number of 419 Local Government Council Areas, the South is dwarfed with a total of only 355 Local Government Council Areas. That is an excruciating difference of 64 Local Government Council Areas to the disadvantage of the South.
A table of Local Government Council Areas in Nigeria, as contained in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, region by region, is displayed below;
(1) North-West = 186
(2) North-Central, including 6 FCT Area Councils, Abuja, = 121
(3) North-East = 112
(4) South-West =137
(5) South-South =123, and
(6) South-East = 95.
When it is considered that Nigeria’s wealth is shared to three tiers of Governments; (1) Federal Government, (2) State Governments, and (3) Local Government Area Councils, one will be in a proper position to appreciate the deliberate inequality and injustice the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria imposed and still imposes on the People of Southern Nigeria, especially on the People of the South-East.
It is, therefore, a good development that the 10th National Assembly is taking steps to amend that awkward Constitution. Every Nigerian knows that an equitable and just Nigeria is the only factor that can guarantee Nigeria’s unity, development, growth and enduring peace. Interestingly, the Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives and Chairman of House Committee on Amendment of the Constitution, Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu, CON, CFR, is a Nigerian of South-East extraction. He is also wearing the shoe of pains and certainly knows where it pinches.
According to reports that have gone viral, the Deputy Speaker and his team were in Owerri on Saturday (Nkwo) 19th July, 2025, to have an interface with Stakeholders from Imo and Abia States on the 1999 Constitution. It was reported that the host Governor, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma, strongly made a case for the creation of additional two States for the South-East. He argued that it was the best way to go in order to address the glaring case of injustice against the People of South-East.
Regrettably and to the chagrin of South-East Stakeholders, the Governor of Abia State, Mr Alexander Otti, represented by his Deputy, Mr Ikechukwu Emetu, openly countered the request for creation of more States for the South-East. As reported on many platforms, he opposed or opposes creation of more States supposedly on the grounds that many States in the country are not viable.
Is it not dethronement of reason and patriotism that a Nigerian Governor of Igbo extraction who should know how bad his People feel should come out openly to subject his People to ridicule by taking a position that makes his People look foolish and idiotic? Could it be the Man only hid under the cover of economic phantasmagoria or intellectual sophistry to express his disdain, if he has any, for the Ngwa Sub-ethnic Nationality where he lives, though he is an Aro man?
Notwithstanding Governor Alexander Otti’s supposition, the hard truth is that there is an urgency for more States and Local Governments to be created in the South-East of Nigeria. When that is done, it would go a long way to assuage the fears of the People of the South-East in a country they have continuously given their best.
Sir Don Ubani is the Publisher of Equity Global Reporters Ltd.
