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Rep Member Proposes Bill To Create Ijebu State, Two Others In South-West Nigeria

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Oluwole Oke, a member of the house of representatives, is proposing a bill to create three new states in the south-west geopolitical zone.

Oke is the head of the house committee on judiciary and represents the Obokun/Oriade federal constituency in Osun state.

The Oke-Ogun, Ijebu, and Ife-Ijesa states would be created as a result of the bill’s proposed amendment to the first schedule, part I of the constitution.

According to the draft bill, Oke-Ogun state will consist of 12 LGAs, with Iseyin serving as its proposed capital.

The law that Oke provided with TheCable states that if Ijebu state is created, it will have nine LGAs with Ijebu Ode as its capital, while Ife Ijesa state will have eleven LGAs with Ile-Ife as its capital.

The bill, addressed to the clerk of the house of representatives and dated February 6, is expected to be listed for first reading.

If the bill scales through and is passed into law, the south-west will have the highest numbers of states among the six geopolitical zones.

Nigeria currently has 36 states created during the military era.

  • Legislative Hurdles

The national assembly is currently amending the 1999 constitution.

In January, Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, said work on the amendment of the 1999 constitution would be completed in December 2025.

Requirements for state creation and boundary adjustments are among the most challenging provisions in a constitutional amendment process.

Section 8 (1) of the constitution stipulates that a new state can only be created if it is supported by at “least two-thirds majority of members (representing the area demanding the creation of the new state) in each of the following, namely — “(i) the Senate and the House of Representatives. (ii) the House of Assembly in respect of the area”.

“(iii) And the local government councils in respect of the area, is received by the National Assembly; (b) a proposal for the creation of the State is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area where the demand for creation of the State originated;

“(c) The result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of all the States of the Federation supported by a simple majority of members of the Houses of Assembly.

“(d) The proposal is approved by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.”

No state has been created since 1999 when the country returned to democratic rule.

BIG STORY

NDLEA Seizes Lipsticks Stuffed With Drugs At Lagos Airport [VIDEO]

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Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have uncovered another batch of female lipsticks containing illegal drugs at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

Femi Babafemi, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, revealed this in a post shared on his X (formerly Twitter) page on Sunday.

He also urged Nigerians, particularly women, to be extremely vigilant when purchasing or accepting beauty products, especially from unfamiliar sellers or dubious online platforms.

The statement read, Ladies beware! It does appear like female lipstick is becoming attractive as an instrument for concealment and trafficking now with yet another consignment of factory fitted female lipsticks stuffed with illicit substances intercepted at MMIA barely a week after @ndlea_nigeria officers uncovered a similar cargo at a courier company in Lagos.

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BIG STORY

JUST IN: Former President Buhari Dies In London Clinic

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Former Nigerian leader, Muhammadu Buhari, passed away on Sunday.

His longtime media aide, Garba Shehu, confirmed the news in a brief statement issued on Sunday afternoon, stating that the former president died at a clinic in London.

Shehu’s message, distributed to the media, read:
“INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAIHIRRAJIUUN. The family of the former president has announced the passing on of the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, this afternoon in a clinic in London. May Allah accept him in Aljannatul Firdaus, Amin.”

The statement concluded with the date: July 13, 2025.

Although the cause of death was not disclosed, Buhari, who held office from 2015 to 2023, had frequently sought medical care in the United Kingdom during and after his time as president.

Buhari, a retired Major General in the Nigerian Army, first led Nigeria as a military head of state from 1983 to 1985. Decades later, he was elected president through a democratic process. He made history as the first opposition candidate to unseat a sitting president in Nigeria.

Funeral plans have not yet been made public.

 

More to come…

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No Effective Governance Without Full Local Government Autonomy — Femi Gbajabiamila

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The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has stated that governance at the local government level cannot be effective without complete autonomy.

He made the remark while addressing journalists after voting in the Lagos State local government elections in Surulere on Saturday.

When asked about the progress of implementing the LG autonomy ruling by the Supreme Court one year after it was delivered, Gbajabiamila described the process as ongoing and said it would be completed with time.

Gbajabiamila said, “The ruling was welcome by everybody. It’s the execution of that ruling and the implementation of that ruling that we are still trying to dot the Is and cross the Ts.

“I believe in a matter of time, we will realise full autonomy. There cannot be effective governance without full autonomy. That’s what we are working toward.”

In July 2024, the Supreme Court granted autonomy to all 774 local government areas across the country following a case filed by the federal government through the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation. However, the ruling is yet to be fully implemented.

Following the judgement, the Senate urged state and local governments to immediately adhere to the court’s directive, especially regarding local government accounts and direct fund disbursements.

The Senate also moved to amend relevant sections of the Constitution to ensure full local government autonomy nationwide.

The announcement was made by Deputy Senate President Senator Jibrin Barau, after lawmakers emerged from a closed-door session where they discussed alleged efforts by some state governments to bypass the Supreme Court’s ruling on July 11.

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