There are three important issues competing for space on the pages of newspapers and social media space these days. The proposed creation of additional states, upscaling security issues in Anambra, and the purported ‘you-no-longer-belong here’ red card given to Adolphus Wabara. Please, follow us into the womb of the stories:
What manner of states?
Exactly a week ago, the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review made a proposal for the creation of additional 31 new states. If the proposal sails through, it would mean that the country would then have 67 states and a Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Those who created the earlier 36 states had their reasons and a lot of controversies had trailed the motives.
In the present circumstance, a lot of postulations are out there as to the motive of those pushing the agenda. It is being touted that some of the dramatis personae are trying to realise their long-nursed governorship aspirations through the new states.
The push for the state creation may not be motivated by the desire to close the yawning gap or the imbalance that the existing arrangement promotes.
There are states that have over 40 local government areas whereas others have eight. For instance, Kano State has 44 local governments, Ebonyi State has 13, while Bayelsa State has only eight Local governments. In a country where allocations are made on the basis of number of local government areas a state has, it means that states with fewer number of council areas will always remain the underdogs. It is doubtful if creation of new states will address that serious issue.
If the argument for additional states is to achieve fairness and to assuage the bottled-up feeling of marginalisation that has existed over the years, can it be said that from the list of the proposed new states and their locations, the desired equity would have been achieved?
Some of the names that have been thrown up as the proposed states have also received bashing from observers who believe that such places are not economically viable as states.
For crying out loud, many of the existing states have remained economically unviable since they were created, and their cases have been worsened by the inability of their governors to look inwards to develop the few natural resources within their domain.
At the moment, many of the states are so poor that they are just a hair breadth away from bankruptcy. Observers say that the best thing should be to auction them out to whoever would want to buy to turn them around for viability and profitability.
Many of the states are neck deep into both domestic and external debts, which are ballooning on a daily basis.
The salient question many Nigerians are asking about this hubris is, beyond the push for new states, where are feasibility studies showing such states can be self-sustaining? The subsisting habit of relying wholly on Abuja for survival cannot and should not continue indefinitely.
Read also: Full list: 31 new Nigerian states proposed by House of Reps
Often times, those who push the issue of state creation claim it was for development, but experience has shown that it does not work that way, as you cannot build something on nothing.
Many analysts speak in tandem that Nigeria is not better today in terms of growth and development with the 36 states than when it was 12 states. They strongly argue that what the 36 states have ended up creating is massive distraction; at best, colonies of fraud and fiefdom for Shiekh governors to live their lives to the fullest!
There may have been some sparks in a few of the states over time, but governance, overall, has been abysmally low.
Today, most of the states’ governors practically live in Abuja from where they pay visits to their states. They are so much dependent on the monthly largesse that comes from Abuja through the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) that they close their eyes to the enormous resources in their state that can become goldmine if intentionally tapped.
A few of those who are seen to be doing something in the right direction, are not even scratching the surface of the great potential their states have. They are merely depending on some low-hanging fruits without bothering about putting in deliberate efforts to break new grounds.
Many of the existing states have not made much progress in terms of infrastructure and other forms of physical development since they were created. The governors make more noise about what they intend to do than what they are actually doing.
Whereas states were supposed to play a complementary role to the Federal Government, the reality on ground is that every attention is focused on Abuja. Unfortunately, state governors run away with their ineptitude, and obvious lack of creativity. That is why the unemployment level is bourgeoning, insecurity is at its worst levels in some states, healthcare, education and everything that makes for good governance has collapsed at the state level while everybody is pointing fingers at the Federal Government.
The local governments that were originally designed to be complementary to the state governments in development matters have ceased to exist. Part of the reasons is that the state governors have since taken away the natural oxygen from that third tier of government, leaving them perpetually on life support under regulated “artificial oxygen.”
The question to ask is, how beneficial are the existing states to their indigenes? Except the political class that recycles itself and maintains a stranglehold on the state coffers, who else benefits in real sense from the type of governance that goes on in the states?
The recurring decimal is a situation where the governors take a decision on the money that accrues to the state coffers, and spends same the way they like. Little wonder some of them are richer than their states and, unfortunately, not many of them get prosecuted for the serious rape on their states and the deprivation they cause the indigenes of their states.
Sadly also, a negligible few of these governors that are dragged to court are never convicted as the cases continue indefinitely, and get struck out at a certain point.
Nigerians must never again allow a few undertakers to continue to lead them around by the nose.
Was Wabara the target or unintended bullet?
Nigerians were taken aback Tuesday by an announcement made somewhere in Umuahia, Abia State capital by purported State Working Committee (SWC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), suspending Adolphus Wabara.
Wabara is a former Senate president and currently the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party.
In a gestapo style, Abraham Amah, state chairman of the umbrella association, announced that Wabara’s sin was that he breached the party’s loyalty.
He specifically said that the BoT chairman, in an anti-party display, endorsed a Labour Party (LP) Governor, Alex Otti of Abia State, for another term, only six months after Otti’s inauguration in 2023.
Amah said that such was an act of sabotage against the PDP.
Read also: Nigerians are unhappy about political crises in PDP – Wabara
But the national secretariat of the party immediately dismissed the purported suspension, saying it did not follow due process.
Declaring the suspension null and void, the PDP, through its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba said it was not consistent with the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017) and the party’s laid down rules.
Probing minds have wondered why the state chapter of the party waited till now to punish a member that erred over one year ago. Were there certain undercurrents that Amah and his group did not bring to the fore?
But, is Abia PDP against its members seeing good things and simply saying so? They want their members to adopt the unhelpful principle of “see nothing, say nothing” even when there are many good things to see and talk about?
Could it be fair to insinuate that the leadership of the party in Abia may have been infiltrated to do some hatchet jobs for whatever reasons?
A critical look into the development in Abia PDP shows that it may have direct connection with the state of the party at the national level. The party has for years now been habouring strange bed-fellows which has affected its fortunes and is also capable of leading to the extinction of the political organisation, if drastic measures are not taken.
Amah and his group may just be implementing the programmes of a faceless apparatchiks operating on the principle of “if I can’t have it, let’s spoil it.”
Or how is it that Amah and his colleague leaders forgot that it was Wabara’s ward that should have initiated the move and announce same before escalating it to the state level?
What is happening to the party in Abuja is the same problem besetting it in Abia.
Since the party lost the office in the 2023 election, there is no more free money to share, and for this reason, it has lost many of its once-loyal members who are in politics not for ideology but for the sake of the stomach.
Some may have even yielded themselves to serve as hirelings to the opposition, and to serve as caterpillars while still living on the leaves.
Truth be told, the PDP in Abia is fast losing its soul as many of those who called the shots in the party few years ago have “ported” and a number of the remnants are just at the departure lounge, biding their time!
Anambra, ahead of November 8 poll
Anambra State in the South East geopolitical zone will be going to the poll on November 8, 2025 for an off-cycle gubernatorial election. The election may face serious security challenge unless drastic measures are taken before then. In 2021 when the last election that brought in Chukwuma Soludo was held, Ihiala and some parts of the state were dreaded and under the thumbs of dangerous elements.
The situation has not improved so much nearly four years after. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has noted this and has also solicited the full cooperation of security agencies.
There has been a resurgence of activities of criminal elements in the state, who kidnap, maim and kill people, even after ransom has been paid and collected. As the date of the election draws closer, there is the need for security agencies to scale up their activities in combing all the nooks and crannies of the state to flush out dangerous elements.
There must be intentional efforts to protect politicians who may be declaring their ambition to contest the election.
On February 6, 2025, the decomposing corpse of Justice Azuka, a lawmaker who represented Onitsha North Constituency 1 in the Anambra State House of Assembly, was discovered at Second Niger Bridge. He was abducted on the Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024.
Before then, there was attack on Patrick Agha Mba, Anambra State commissioner for Youth Development, his wife, and Kpajie Ernest ABK Offiah, leader of the Onitsha Youth Council (OYC), which resulted in the tragic death of Kpajie Offiah.
Anambra 2025 must not witness another abduction and killing of aspirants or candidates.
One month before the 2021 election, Obiora Agbasimalo, then governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the state, was abducted.
Agbasimalo, a chartered banker, was abducted at Lilu, a community in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, while on a campaign tour to Azhia, another community in the state. Despite the legal gymnastics and promises of intervention from various quarters, his whereabouts have remained unknown till date.
Although the state government has taken some drastic measures to check the spate of insecurity, there is the need to ensure that such steps taken are yielding the desired fruits.
During the elections, many hotels in the state would be occupied; the government and relevant agencies must ensure that there are no remnants of such facilities as Udoka Golden Point Hotel and Suites (La Cruise Hotel) recently discovered in Idemili South local government area, where innocent people were slaughtered and used for sacrifices. A stitch in time, it is said, saves nine.
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