A civic advocacy group, the New Nigeria Movers (NNM), has strongly criticized the Nigerian Senate’s recent approval of 12 additional states, calling the move “wrong in timing, wrong in judgment, and wrong in purpose.”
In a statement issued Monday and signed by the group’s National President, Comrade Elder Samuel Olaleye, and National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Idegu Ojonugwa Shadrach, the NNM warned that the decision could further strain the country’s already overstretched economy and deepen governance inefficiencies.
“This decision by the Senate is like applying a painkiller without addressing the root cause of the illness,” said Elder Olaleye. “We are in a period of severe economic hardship, growing insecurity, and increasing distrust in public institutions. Creating more states now is akin to pouring petrol on a fire.”
The group likened the move to a temporary fix that could lead to worse outcomes. “Our society is already overwhelmed with pain—poverty, hunger, unemployment, and insecurity have reduced many Nigerians to shadows of themselves. This is not the time for political expansion; it’s a time for economic healing and governance reform,” Olaleye added.
Citing global examples, the NNM questioned the rationale behind the creation of additional states when larger nations have fewer administrative units. “India has over 1.5 billion people and only 28 states; China has 34 states with a population of more than a billion. Nigeria has just over 200 million people and already 36 states—and now 12 more?” asked Comrade Shadrach. “It’s simply unsustainable.”
The group further accused lawmakers of prioritizing political self-interest over national development, emphasizing that true leadership should reflect love for country and concern for the people’s welfare.
“How do you justify adding new states in a country where corruption thrives unchecked, where social services are failing, and millions can’t afford a square meal?” Shadrach queried. “Real love for Nigeria should reflect in laws that fight corruption, promote equity, and unify our people—not in multiplying administrative units that enrich a few and burden the many.”
NNM also argued that fairness in representation should not replace the need for national fitness—economic, moral, and institutional. “Fatness isn’t the same as fitness,” Elder Olaleye noted. “Creating more states might make the country look larger administratively, but it makes us weaker if the foundation is faulty. What Nigeria needs is to be fit—economically, socially, and structurally.”
Rather than expanding the number of states, the NNM urged lawmakers to revisit the regional government structure and the 12-state system that existed between 1967 and 1976, which they described as more manageable and development-driven.
“Those 12 states and the regional model served Nigeria far better than our current setup,” the statement read. “They are the real painkillers—not this misguided legislative experiment. If we truly want a New Nigeria, we must go back to what worked.”
The group concluded with a passionate appeal to leaders to focus on unity, discipline, and the genuine transformation of Nigeria’s political and economic systems.
“We cannot fix Nigeria by expanding its bureaucracy,” said Elder Olaleye. “We fix Nigeria by fixing our values, our institutions, and our commitment to serve. Anything else is a distraction.”
