A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr Olisa Agbakoba, has faulted the agitation for the creation of more stations in the South-East by some House of Representatives members, describing the proposal as a misplaced priority.
Agbakoba, a former President of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), expressed the view on Sunday in Lagos.
NAN reports that the House of Representatives recently passed for second reading, a bill seeking the creation of Etiti State out of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states from the South-East geopolitical zone.
Agbakoba said Nigeria does not presently need more states, adding that instead, lawmakers and other political stakeholders should be concerned about restructuring Nigeria to a regional government to reflect the real diversity of the country.
He said he does not support additional state because most of the 36 states are economically unviable, insolvent and not capable of bringing about infrastructural development and even paying the proposed minimum wage.
“State creation at this present harsh economic will, no doubt, lead to increase in the number of National Assembly members, ministers, local governments, and others, which would further increase the cost of governance in the country.
“This is coming at a time when most Nigerians are starving due to rise in the food prices.Insurgents, bandits and terrorists are abducting people for ransom in other states of the country.
“Therefore, the National Assembly should, instead ,return the country to the regionalism by collapsing the 36 states into six to eight regions or geopolitical zones, each of which will have a leader.”
