A bill to amend the 1999 Constitution and create Etiti State in the southeast successfully passed its first reading in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, July 2. Sponsored by Hon. Amobi Ogah and four other representatives, the proposed state would be carved out from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states.
The new state is planned to include 11 local government areas from these five states, with Lokpanta as its headquarters. The bill seeks to modify three sections of the 1999 Constitution, changing the number of states from 36 to 37 and inserting Etiti immediately after Enugu in the list of states.
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Additionally, the bill proposes reassigning local government areas from their current states to the new Etiti State. The affected local governments are Isuikwuato and Umu-Nneochi (Abia), Orumba North and Orumba South (Anambra), Ivo and Ohaozara (Ebonyi), Aninri, Awgu, and Oji River (Enugu), and Okigwe and Onuimo (Imo).
The creation of Etiti State aims to address administrative and developmental needs in the southeast region, providing more localized governance and resources for its residents.