As part of efforts to deepen grassroots development and bring governance closer to the people, Senator Shehu Buba, representing Bauchi South in the Senate, has submitted a request for the creation of 10 new local government areas in the southern zone of Bauchi State.
LEADERSHIP learned that the lawmaker, along with a team of technical stakeholders, submitted the proposal at the Northeast 1999 Constitution Review Public Hearing. The proposed new LGAs include Lame and Jama’a from Toro; Galambi, Birshi-Zungur and Bauchi Municipal from Bauchi; Gwana and Yankari from Alkaleri and Lere North, Lere South and Bula from Tafawa Balewa.
Speaking to journalists in Bauchi, Senator Buba also advocated for the creation of additional federal wards to ensure fairer representation and resource distribution across the region.
The lawmaker stressed that constitutional time constraints often limit the scope of reforms, but expressed optimism that this time, lawmakers would act within legal boundaries to address public demands.
He urged state Houses of Assembly to rise to the occasion by playing their crucial role in the constitutional amendment process, emphasising that their proactive engagement is key to achieving the proposed administrative restructuring.
“The goal is simple: bring governance closer to the people, boost development, and enhance representation. But we can only achieve this if all stakeholders, especially state assemblies, are fully involved and committed,” he said.
He added, “Our current structures struggle to address and cater for the ever-growing population. For instance, you can shuttle for over three hours within the present Toro and Alkaleri local governments due to their vast territorial land mass. Hence, the need to create additional local governments from them for easy administration.”
