Residents of Southern, Northern Kaduna agree to split into two new states

Residents of the southern and northern parts of Kaduna State have agreed to split the state into two new states.

While Christians dominate the southern part, the Hausa and Fulani dominate the northern part.

Jonathan Asake, president of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) made this known during a presentation and defence of their memos at the Senate ad-hoc Committee and the House of Reps Special Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution at the judiciary.

Speaking during the presentation, on Wednesday, May 26, the president of the SOKAPU said the wish of southern Kaduna is to have a brand new constitution, not an amended one.

According to him, the people who have suffered suppression and oppression for a long time are making

While defending the memo of the group, Asake went on to note that for over thirty years they have been demanding for a state of their own.

“But in the absence of that, we are here to make our inputs as a people who have suffered suppression and oppression for a long time,” he said.

“Southern Kaduna is made up of 67 ethnic nationalities spread in 13 of the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kaduna state. It has a landmass of 26,000kmsq with an estimated population of 5.1 million. We are endowed with an educated population and with abundant natural resources, he said.

“Our land size is greater than that of Kano state which has a landmass of 20,000kmsq. Yet Kano is a state of its own with 44 LGAs. Our population is greater than 21 other states of the federation, he went on.

“We are demanding for the amendment of the provision of section 8 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which makes it almost an impossible task for the creation of a new state, he insisted.

“We have been demanding for a state of our own for over thirty years and Gurara state was among the 18 states proposed in the 2014 Confab report,” he said.

In the same vein, the Northern part of Kaduna State, under the aegis of Kaduna Development Elders Initiatives submitted a memo signed by the Senators representing Kaduna North Senatorial Zone, Sen. Sulieman Abdu Kwari; the Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial zone, Senator Uba Sani; all the House of Reps members from the Northern part of Kaduna; all members of Kaduna state house of Assembly from the northern part of Kaduna their Chairmen of LGAs and Councillors, Tribune Online reports.

Defending the memo of the group, Abdulkadir Ahmed said, “we are canvassing for the creation of New Kaduna state from the present Kaduna state and we want the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria amended to make this possible.”

“Kaduna South has been complaining of marginalisation ever since, even though Chiefdoms have been given to them and they occupy 60% of the workforce of Kaduna state,” he added.

“Let the state be split and if they are asking for Gurara state, let them have it,” he said.

“This will solve all the crises we have been having in this state,” he added.

Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, who declared the meeting open, also asked for true Federalism, State Police, and Financial Autonomy to Local Government Councils.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Kabiru Gaiya from Kano State, in his opening remarks assured all that each of the memos will be well looked into and submitted to the National Assembly for further actions. their inputs as a people in the absence of a new constitution.