Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has raised strong objections to the ongoing proposal to create 31 new states across Nigeria, warning that such a move could worsen the country’s economic challenges and overstretch its limited financial resources.
Dr. Otti made his position known on Saturday at the South-East Zonal Constitution Review meeting organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review.
The event, held in Owerri, Imo State, brought together key stakeholders from Abia and Imo to deliberate on proposed amendments to the 1999 Constitution.
Governor Otti cautioned that the financial implications of expanding the number of states could be detrimental to the nation’s already fragile economy.
“While I understand the concerns of those pushing for new states as a way to tackle marginalization and exclusion, I am more worried about the financial strain this will place on our already limited national resources,” Otti stated.
He warned that without a concrete plan to fund the proposed states independently of the current federal revenue system, the expansion would only deepen Nigeria’s economic woes.
“Unless there is a clear plan to finance these new states outside the current revenue sources, I do not support the idea of expanding beyond the existing 36 states,” he added.
The governor emphasized that creating more states would not necessarily solve the issues of development or inclusion but would instead increase administrative costs and further inflate an already bloated bureaucracy.
Dr. Otti’s remarks come amid growing calls for the creation of new states from different parts of the country, including from his own South-East geopolitical zone—which remains the only region with just five states, compared to six in other zones and seven in the North-West.
Despite this regional imbalance, Otti insisted that economic considerations must come first.
“The solution lies not in multiplying states, but in ensuring equitable distribution of resources and accountability in governance,” he said.
The constitution review process continues as Nigerians across various regions submit their positions on key national issues, including restructuring, fiscal federalism, devolution of powers, and state creation.
