By Jimoh Ahmed,  Saheed Ibrahim &  Babatunde Ayedoju

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Call for creation of more constituencies by the Federal House of Representatives will create more financial chaos, burdens and ethnic division in the country.
This was the position of some academics in their reactions to the House of Representatives call for new constituencies, describing the move as unnecessary owing to the poor economic situation in the country.
Some members of the House of Representatives recently directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to review the status of the 360 Federal constituencies in the country in order to determine changes in size of growth over the years, as stated in the constitution.
The House lamented that some Federal constituencies are twice bigger than others, calling for the split of the bigger constituencies.
The Minority Leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu noted that INEC was to delineate the existing constituencies every 10years but it had been 22years since the exercise was last carried out.
While noting that the call for more constituencies would give equal representation to the people, the academics, who spoke with The Hope in separate interviews, expressed concern over the financial burdens such move would bring on Nigeria, judging by the current economic challenges in the nation.
According to the university dons, the call for creation of more constituencies and states had been a recurrent issue in Nigeria but it was usually done not in the interest of the nation but for benefits of certain regions .
A Professor of Political Science at Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Damilola Agbalajobi opined that Nigeria currently battles insecurity and economic downturn and the issue of delineation should not be a top priority.
She noted that most people clamouring for the creation of more states and constituencies were doing so not in the interest of the country but their ethnic groups, saying the exercise would lead to more financial burdens on the nation.
“The more we create more constituencies, the more there will be division and disintegration. And this will continue to create more ethnic challenges we have in Nigeria,” she said.
She said it was important to have national integration mindset and not issues that will further disintegrate the nation.
“Right now, it is difficult for us to see ourselves as one and as long as we do not do that, people will continue to clamour for creation of more constituencies and states.
Also Prof. Victor Olumekun from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko also said that creation of more federal constituencies is not the most important thing for Nigeria now, saying the country did not have enough resources to cater for the constituencies.
Olumekun further noted that the country had no accurate census data for the proper creation of constituencies that are viable and give proportional representation to the people of the country.
“When you talk about the constituencies, the biggest problem is, do we have enough resources to cater for these constituencies? Are we really sure our census figures are correct, because if you are allocating federal constituencies, it must be based on proportional representation.
“However what we see currently is lopsided. There is a lot of dishonesty involved. Unfortunately, when you want to plan, you must do that based on the resources and information available. Do we have the right information? That’s the biggest problem” he said.
The political commentator stressed that the call for the creation of more constituencies was geared towards getting more resources from the Federal government, not a matter of immediate necessity.
“A state will have several constituencies based on the projected population, but we find out that it’s a big problem, and it’s all about resource allocation.
“People want to have more money than is due for them from the federal purse. Even if we decide to do another census, are we going to get reliable figures? That’s the Nigerian factor,” he said.
Similarly, Prof. Oluwatosin Fashina of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, said creation of more constituencies would mean more expenses for the federal government.
While noting that it could give people opportunities to aspire for political positions in their areas, Fashina expressed the possibility of the exercise turning out to be counterproductive.
He said, “in Nigeria, we turn good things around and make them evil. If they manage the process well, it will make governance more inclusive, as more people can have a say.”
In the same vein, the Sub-Dean of the Faculty of Education, AAUA, Dr Adegboro Joseph Sunday, said creation of more constituencies was not what the nation needed, but restructuring.
He said the present structure in the country had failed and as such, a more fruitful and result yielding avenues must be explored to salvage the current economic quagmire and security in Nigeria.
“The present structure of Nigeria has failed us and what is right for us now is to re-structure Nigeria. Let there be devolution of powers and let every constituent take responsibility for their development and let us return Nigeria to true federalism,” he suggested.
In his opinion, the President of Owo Unity Club, Pastor Idowu Adebayo said the present constituencies in the country have not added any value to the lives of ordinary Nigerians, saying the call by the House of Representatives was to get more allocations for their respective states.
“Increasing of federal constituencies amounts to building something on nothing, it is barbaric and uncalled for and should be stopped,” he added.