A bill to create Etiti State (equity) in the South East geopolitical zone passed through first reading in the House of Representatives yesterday.
The proposed legislation was sponsored by Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah (Abia), Hon. Miriam Odinaka Onuoha (Imo), Hon. Kama Nkemkama (Ebonyi) Hon. Princess Chinwe Nnabuife (Anambra) and Hon. Anayo Onwuegbu (Enugu).
The proposed state is to be created out of the present Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States, with 11 local government areas drawn from the five states with headquarters at Lokpanta.
The bill seeks to alter three sections of the 1999 constitution, to delete the word 36 and replacing it with the word 37 to accommodate the new state and to insert the word Etiti, immediately after Enugu in the list of states contained in the Constitution.
It also seeks to alter the listing of local government according to states and transfer the 11 local government areas from their current states to the new state.
The local government to be affected are Isuikwuato and Umu-Nneochi (Abia), Orumba North and Orumba South (Anambra), Ivo and Ohaozara (Ebonyi), Aninri, Agwu and Oji River (Enugu) as well as Okigwe and Onuimo (Imo).