Kano, With 20 Million People, Deserves Four More States – Buhari’s Ex-Aide

A former aide to ex-President Buhari has advocated for the creation of four additional states from Kano, citing its large population of 20 million as justification for the proposal.

Bashir Ahmad, a former aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has advocated for dividing Kano State into five distinct states due to its rapidly increasing population, which he asserts is approaching 20 million.

On Thursday, Ahmad reacted to the National Assembly’s ongoing consideration of proposals to establish 31 new states throughout Nigeria by making a suggestion in a post on his verified Facebook page.

Ahmad expressed his belief that Kano should be divided into at least five states to improve governance, development, and equitable distribution of resources. This comes in response to the National Assembly’s proposal to establish 31 new states across Nigeria. With a population approaching 20 million, Ahmad argues that such a division is warranted for Kano.

His statement follows the confirmation from the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution that it has received proposals for creating 31 new states from different regions across the country. During Thursday’s plenary session, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu read a letter from this committee detailing the criteria needed to approve these new state creations.

The proposals cover all six of Nigeria’s geopolitical zones:

North Central: Okun, Okura, Confluence (Kogi); Benue Ala, Apa (Benue); Federal Capital Territory.

Northeast: Amana in Adamawa, Katagum in Bauchi, Savannah in Borno, and Muri in Taraba.

North West: New Kaduna, Gurara (located in Kaduna); Tiga, Ari (in Kano); Kainji (situated in Kebbi).

Southeast: Etiti, Orashi (as the 6th state), Adada (Enugu), Orlu, Aba

South-South: Ogoja in Cross River, Warri in Delta, Ori and Obolo in Rivers.

South West: Torumbe in Ondo; Ibadan in Oyo; Lagoon in Lagos; Ijebu in Ogun; and Oke Ogun/Ijesha spanning across Oyo, Ogun, and Osun.

According to the National Assembly, state creation requires fulfilling several constitutional criteria, such as obtaining approval from two-thirds of the populations involved, along with endorsements from both state assemblies and the National Assembly.