By Christiana Ekpa
The House of Representatives has taken the first step towards creating a new state in South-East Nigeria, passing a bill for the establishment of Orlu State for first reading on Thursday.
Sponsored by Rep. Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere and other lawmakers, the bill seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to create Orlu State from Imo, Abia, and Anambra states, with Orlu as its capital city. The new state will comprise 28 local government areas and lead to the emergence of Ideato as a senatorial district.
The creation of Orlu State will increase the number of states in Nigeria from 36 to 37, addressing the imbalance in the number of states in the South-East region, which currently has five states compared to six in other geopolitical zones.
The bill will now proceed to the second reading, a crucial step towards the realization of Orlu State.
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