The National Conference has received memoranda from members of the public for the creation of Ogoja and Yemen States from the present Cross River and Gombe State respectively.
Delegates from Cross River had on Friday submitted a memorandum to the Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government for the creation of Ogoja State from the present Cross River.
According to them, apart from Ogoja and Ijebu, all the other 22 provinces and their headquarters have since become states and capitals respectively.
They pointed out that a memorandum for the creation of Ogoja State was first submitted to the National Assembly in February 2009.
In a statement signed by eight of the 10 delegates from Cross River and addressed to the Chairman, Committee on Political Restructuring, they said the creation of Ogoja State was long-overdue, adding that the conference was an opportunity for all sections of Nigeria to get justice.
The delegates appealed for support from all sections of the country for their demand so as to ensure the creation of the state.
Similarly, Gombe-South senatorial district of Gombe State has also submitted a memorandum for the creation of Yemen State out of the present Gombe State.
The delegate representing Ethnic Nationality of Gombe, Dr Daniel Maddo, in the memorandum, alleged marginalisation and discrimination against Gombe-South, stressing that the marginalisation and discrimination was in contravention of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to him, the proposed state has a population of 1.5 million people from the 2006 Population Census and would be viable and self-sustaining if created.
|The area is currently the food basket of Gombe State, having pioneered the Agricultural Development Programme in 1970. It also boasts of enough manpower to develop the state, having embraced Western education early in the history of the country.
“In addition to agriculture, the proposed state is also well endowed with solid mineral resources, some of which are already being exploited, and can therefore be self-sustaining.
“The mineral resources include petroleum/hydrocarbon, coal, uranium, kaolin, gypsum, granite, gemstone, potash, lead, bentonite, clay, halite, red-talc, iron-ore, laterite, iron-stone and sand-stone,’’ he said
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