Nigerian citizens from groups and organisations in Adamawa, Gombe and Taraba have converged on Gombe with their various submissions, especially on the creation of new states to bring the government closer to the people.
They demanded that their submissions be included, modified or expunged from the Nigerian Constitution.
The two-day public hearing took place between May 26 and 27 and members of Federal legislature, who conducted the hearing, under the chairmanship of Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje, received 70 cases from the advertised issues of interest.
In the end, the issue of State creation dominated the submissions presented through memoranda with verbal summary presentations.
Prominent among the agitations for the creation of states and local governments were the strong appeal made by areas once under the Trust Territories in Adamawa and Taraba State.
The agitation for the states of Amana and Gongola were from two groups in Adamawa and Mambilla state from Taraba State.
The points from all sides were that since 1999, people from those areas were not treated fairly as Nigerians.
According to them, they have not been included in the Federal Executive Council and had no significant recognition or appointments in the Federal Government.
The Leader of the Movement for the creation of Amana state from the present Adamawa State, was represented by Mr Ahmad Sajo, who his people had advocated for their own state for years.
Mr. Sajo said he came into Nigeria from Cameroon in 1961, and that they had been an independent entity ever since, which had led them to seek a state of their own.
He recalled that the then Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto had convinced the people of the area to be part of Nigeria on the condition that the area shall be an autonomous province with a guaranteed equality of status.
“We were also promised equality of treatment and equality of access to opportunities as any other Nigerian province of the time, so we are calling on the Senate to help us achieve this noble desire,” Mr. Sajo said.
He, however said that the people in the area, comprising Mubi-North, Mubi-South, Michika, Madagali and Maiha, had been deprived of the benefit of being part of the country.
He said since 1999, they had not had someone representing them in the Federal Executive Council as an appointee of the government.
Mr. Sajo said the area had a population and geographical criteria to become a state.
“When Bayelsa was created, it had three Local Government Areas, whereas we have 5. We have a population of about 1.7 million people, with 4,088square kilometres as landmass which is bigger than Lagos state and some states in the Southeast,” said Mr. Sajo.
He said the Senate had provided him and his people with the opportunity to bring their agitations up for action, while saying that dialogue remained the best option for progress.
From Adamawa State, still came a similar voice from the Trust Territory, who were equally convinced to joined Nigeria during the plebiscite conducted by the United Nations in 1961.
Similarly, the areas made up of three local government areas of Toungo, Jada and Ganye have been merged with six other local government areas to become the Adamawa South Senatorial District, giving the people little or no recognition.
Making their submissions on Thursday, the leader of the team, Mr Salihu Wobkenso, said they were at the public hearing, representing Adamawa South Senatorial District to present their agitations for the creation of Gongola state.
Mr. Wobkenso said the group deserved a state of their own because the Senatorial District was the largest in the country, with nine local government areas.
According to Wobkenso, giving them a state would bring governance closer to the people.
He said nine local government areas had a population of about 1.4 million people, based on the 2016 census, saying, “We have what it takes economically to stand as a state.”
Mr. Wobkenso, however, said, if a state would not be given to the area, an additional senatorial district should be created in the area to give the people a sense of democratic belonging.
“If Gongola State cannot be given to us, they should split our Southern Senatorial District into two senatorial seats, because it is the largest in the whole of this Federation with nine local government areas, which is equally more than some states like Bayelsa that is having 8 local government areas. And even Gombe that we are in right now is having only 11 local government areas with three senators, while we have nine local government areas with one senator. It does not commensurate,” Mr. Wobkenso said.
Best platform
From Taraba State, yet another member of the Trust Territory, came with the call for the creation of a Mambilla state.
The group was represented by Mr Ahmed Dahoji, who also said the agitating for the state creation had been on for a long time.
He said the public hearing had provided them with the best platform to send their message.
Mr. Dahoji commended the senate for kick starting the process for the amendment of the constitution, while urging them to look into their agitation for the creation of the state, so that governance would get to the grassroots.
Responding to the agitations for the creation of local governments and states, the Chairman of the Gombe Centre of the North East, Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje, pledged to lend a strong voice to the proposed alteration of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Senator Goje said the committee would take time to go through all reports, itemise them, and make positive submissions and presentations to the main committee and the senate.
Lateefah Ibrahim
