Ozekhome knocks proposed states, says exercise meaningless

A human rights and constitutional lawyer, Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), has described as disturbing the current proposal for the creation of additional 31 states in Nigeria.

According to the senior advocate, the move would amount to needless venture in the midst of more critical national issues that needed attention.

Ozekhome’s position was contained in a press release made available to Blueprint in Abuja over the weekend.

The learned silk wondered why the national assembly would be talking about creating additional 31 states when over 2/3 of the present states are unviable entities, merely existing on life support and are dependent on the federal centre for monthly oxygenation under section 162 of the 1999 Constitution.

NASS committee on the review of the 1999 constitution announced that it had received 31 proposals for the creation of new states across the six geopolitical zones.

A letter from the committee on the requests was read by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu during the plenary.

According to the letter, the proposals include five from the North-central, four from the North-east, five from the North-west, five from the South-east, four from the South-south, and seven from the South-west.

But reacting in a statement, Ozekhome said the exercise was buffoonery and needless distraction from the existential crises that the country faces.

“How can we be talking of going through the stringent provisions of section 8 of the 1999 Constitution for a meaningless exercise that adds no value to a nation gasping for existential breadth?” he asked.

Going forward, the senior lawyer noted that all that Nigeria needs now are to correct the federalist system, create additional state in the South East to equal others, a brand new Constitution that is legitimate, people-driven, autochthonous, credible and referendum-compliant to help correct our deep fault-lines and lopsided federation that make some states mere vassals consumers of the national cake without knowing or caring how the cake is baked. 

“The NASS should immediately drop this provocative, funny and phoney butterflies-chasing and stop insulting our collective intelligence,“ the statement added.