Nigeria yet to fulfill major pledge to us – Amana State advocates tell nat’l public hearing
Calls for the creation of Amana State have gained renewed traction on Monday as His Highness Alhaji Sali Bello, the Dan Amar Mubi and Director-General of the Movement for the Creation of Amana State, addressed lawmakers during the National Public Hearing of the House of Representatives at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
Delivering his address on behalf of the people of the proposed state, Alhaji Bello invoked both history and economic justification to argue that Amana State deserves recognition as Nigeria’s 37th state.
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He reminded lawmakers that the territory, which joined Nigeria through a plebiscite in February 1961 as a “Trust Territory,” was admitted into the federation on the basis of solemn promises that are yet to be fulfilled.
According to him, the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, assured the people that they would continue to enjoy autonomy and that Mubi, their capital, would stand on the same pedestal as Kano, Katsina and Ilorin.
“Today, these promises remain largely and regrettably unfulfilled. Not because we lack the merit or the basis to exist as a state, but because Nigeria never took that solemn promise as important,” Sali lamented.
Making the economic case, the movement’s leader pointed out that the proposed Amana State covers a landmass of 6,919 square kilometers—larger than four existing states and equivalent in size to two others.
Its projected population is over 3.2 million, with the capacity to support at least 20 local government areas, drawn from current development areas in Adamawa State and the Uba Emirate in neighboring Borno.
He highlighted that over 60 percent of Adamawa State’s GDP estimated at N2.66 trillion originates from the proposed Amana area. With the addition of Uba Chiefdom, he argued, the region’s economic strength would surpass more than half of Nigeria’s existing states.
Mubi, proposed as the capital of Amana, was described as the “economic melting pot” of Adamawa State. He said the town attracts traders from across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones as well as from Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and the Central African Republic.
”The Mubi cattle market, reputed as one of the largest in West Africa, and vast agricultural output in both food and cash crops, underscore the region’s economic viability.
”In addition, Amana boasts considerable social infrastructure, including a Federal University of Agriculture, a state university, a federal polytechnic, other tertiary institutions, and a Federal Medical Center. The region is also endowed with untapped solid minerals, including uranium,” he said.
Alhaji Bello urged the House of Representatives to consider the request both on its merit and as a matter of justice. “We have fulfilled all criteria required to create a state in Nigeria,” he declared, adding that the creation of Amana State would erase the “burden of trust” left unresolved since 1961.
“Create for us Amana State with Mubi as the capital. Fulfil the promise made to us and give meaning to the trust we placed in Nigeria,” he added.
