A bill seeking to make provisions for the constitutional recognition of the six Geo-political zones in Nigeria has scaled through First Reading on the floor of the House of Representatives.
The private member bill sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas seeks to alter the 1999 Constitution Cap. C23 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 with a view to provide for the recognition and development of the geo-political zones in Nigeria; and for related matters.
The proposed bill exclusively seen by Nigerian Tribune, seeks to give legislative backing to the political categorization of the 36 States into six geopolitical zones.
According to him, the Constitution is hereby amended by creating a new section 3A(1) which provides that: “There shall be six Geo-political Zones in Nigeria namely North East, North Central, North West, South East, South West, and South-South.
“(2) Each of the Geo-Political Zones named in the first column of part III of the First Schedule to this Constitution shall consist of the States shown opposite thereto in the second column of that schedule.
“(3) The development of the political zones provided for under this section shall be by an Act of the National Assembly in line with development plan of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The Constitution is hereby amended in the first schedule to this Constitution by creating a new Part III in the Constitution.
The six States under North East geopolitical zone are Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe.
The six States under the North Central geopolitical zone are Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau.
The seven States under North West geopolitical zone are Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, and Zamfara.
The five States under South East geopolitical zone are Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.
The six States under South West geopolitical zone are Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo.
The six States under the South-South geopolitical zone are Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers.
In line with extant legislative practice, the House Committee on Rules and Business is expected to determine the scheduled date for the bill to be gazetted for Second Reading.
