By James Isaac, Abuja
A group comprising elders, opinion moulders, royal fathers, and legislators on Tuesday stormed the National Assembly to fulfill part of the constitutional requirements for the creation of Hadejia State from Jigawa State.
The Chairman of the Movement for the Creation of Hadejia State, Malam Musa Shu’aibu, while presenting the historical perspective of the struggle, stated that the demand was born out of the people’s desire to take their destiny into their hands.
He explained that the conquest of the Hadejia Emirate in 1906 and the introduction of the provincial system of administration in 1926 led to a gradual loss of identity and the capacity to harness local resources for development. Despite being the second largest emirate in size, economy, and population under the provincial system when Kano and Jigawa existed together, Hadejia did not receive commensurate development in relation to its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Hadejia, derived from the River Hadejia, supports the livelihoods of a large segment of the population. Based on the 2006 census, the proposed state’s population was 1,245,571, with almost equal numbers of male and female inhabitants. The current projected population is 1,811,185.
The proposed state is made up of eight local government areas, three federal constituencies, and nine state assembly constituencies, all from the Jigawa North East Senatorial District.
According to Malam Shu’aibu, the region is highly endowed with vast land, water bodies, animals, and fertile soil for farming, but these resources have not been fully harnessed.
“If granted the state, we the people of Hadejia know our land more than anyone else, and we will do everything possible to harness our resources for the benefit of our people. We believe we can even make a greater contribution to the Nigerian nation,” he stated.
He drew a comparative example with Bayelsa State, which was created in 1996 with six local governments, while Hadejia’s request with six local governments at that time was not granted. Today, Bayelsa has eight local governments and remained a state, while Hadejia now has eight local governments and is still seeking state creation.
The delegation was led to the Senate for the presentation of the memorandum by Senator Ahmed Abdulhamid Malam Madori, representing Jigawa North East Zone.
The group expressed optimism that their request would receive positive consideration, emphasizing the potential of the proposed state to thrive independently.
