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CONSTITUTION REVIEW: Southern Kaduna demands own state

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Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) on Wednesday demanded the creation of a new state from the present Kaduna State in order to stop the bloody violence in the state.

SOKAPU made the presentation at the North-West public hearing on the constitution review in Kaduna.

The Union President, Jonathan Asake, who made the presentation, said the Southern and Northern Kaduna were infamous for incessant inter-ethnic and religious clashes for decades.

He added that the creation of a new state from the present Kaduna State would go a long way in solving the age-long problem.

Asake said: “The wish of Southern Kaduna is to have a brand new constitution, not an amended one. 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.

READ ALSO: Borno, Yobe reject state police, additional states in constitution review

“Southern Kaduna is made up of 67 ethnic nationalities spread in 13 of the 23 local government areas 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.

“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. Therefore, 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.

“We have been demanding for a state of our own for over 30 years and Gurara State was among the 18 states proposed in the 2014 confab report. We are demanding the creation of the Gurara State after the amendment. This will help in solving the incessant conflicts between our people and the other divide.”

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