The Senate Committee on Constitution Review has responded to the cries for the creation of more states in the country with a proposal for 20 more states.

The Committee has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a referendum of the creation of the states.

It was gathered that the committee’s decision was reached after considering various factors including the ability of civilian administration to create states.

It recalled that the defunct Mid-Western Region was created in 1963 in the First Republic.

To check tax evasion, the Senate panel also approved the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to allow for the creation of Federal Revenue Court.

There will be about five revenue courts to deal with all tax issues nationwide, especially cases involving multinational firms.

A highly placed source said the Senate panel will soon meet with the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review for joint consultations on some of the approved amendments.

Creation of new states tops the list of amendments to the 1999 Constitution.

Although less than five of the current 36 states are economically viable, it was gathered that the Senate Committee was determined to respect what it termed “the genuine desire of Nigerians.”

The list of requests for new states is quite long, but sources said referendum may be conducted for no fewer than 20 states.

Some of the requests are ITAI State (from Akwa Ibom State); State status for the FCT; Katagum State from Bauchi State; Okura State from Kogi East; Adada State from Enugu State; Gurara State from Kaduna South; and Ijebu State from Ogun State

Others are Ibadan State from Oyo State; Tiga State from Kano State; Ghari State from Kano State; Amana State from Adamawa; Gongola State from Adamawa; Mambilla State from Taraba State; Savannah State from Borno State; and Okun state from Kogi State.

Those on the list include Etiti State from the South East Zone; Orashi State from Imo and Anambra states; Njaba from the present Imo State or the excision of Aba State from Abia State; Anioma State from Delta State; Torogbene and Oil River States, from Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states; and Bayajida State from parts of Katsina, Jigawa and Zamfara states.

The source said:”The Senate Committee on Constitution Review has seen the desirability of creating new states which may even solve the nation’s present security challenges.

“What the Senate Committee has recommended is to amend the constitution to empower INEC to conduct the referendum on state creation.

” When INEC gets the constitutional mandate, we can then invoke Section in Part 1 of Chapter 1 of the 1999 Constitution.

“We are talking of referendum for less than or about 20 new states.”

The last state creation in Nigeria took place on October 1,1996 when the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, announced the emergence of Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Gombe, Nasarawa and Zamfara.