A bill to create Hadejia State out of the present Jigawa State in the Northwest of Nigeria has passed the first reading in the Senate.
The Senate took the bill as the third item on its Order Paper on February 25th, 2025.
Abdulhamid Ahmed Mallam-Madori, the Senator representing Jigawa North, informed the Senate that, if created, Hadejia State will comprise of eight local government councils from the existing Jigawa State.
By passing through the first reading, the case for Hadejia State will now nove to the Constitution Review Committee of the Senate because the creation of new states would require amendment of the 1999 Constitution as it presently exists. It is the Committee to which the movement for the creation of the state in question will submit its memorandum.
The creation of new states has been back in the air in Nigerian politics of late. Although it has rarely happened under civilian administration, there’s no knowing if the current National Assembly may not break the jinx.
While opponents of the creation of new states argue that it duplicate hardly self-sufficient entities called states protagonists of new states insist it is the only way to take development to those who are left behind within existing state structure.
It will be interesting to see whether the 10th National Assembly will break the jinx or not.
