Constitutional amendment: Amana State movement urges redress of “Historical Injustice”
Leaders of the Amana State Movement have urged the National Assembly to “write its name in gold” by carving a new Amana State from present‑day Adamawa State and Uba Chiefdom in Borno State, insisting that the change would correct a six‑decade injustice dating back to Nigeria’s earliest state‑creation exercise.
Speaking at the Senate Committee’s public hearing on constitutional amendments in Maiduguri, the delegation—headed by His Highness, Alhaji Sali Bello, the Dan Amar of Mubi said the territory that now forms northern Adamawa and parts of Borno voluntarily joined Nigeria in a United Nations‑supervised plebiscite on 11 February 1961.
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Dan Amar urged lawmakers to make history. by correcting the monumental historical injustice.
“May you be the instrument God uses to correct this injustice,” he told the committee
Sali noted that at the time of the plebiscite, the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, assured the people that the area would “remain a distinct entity” within the federation and that Mubi, would enjoy the same status as other state capitals such as Kano, Katsina and Ilorin.
“Those solemn pledges were breached in 1967 when Nigeria’s first 12 states were created.
“We are not here to beg. We are here to demand the correction of a promise broken,” Dan Amar said.
The movement’s petition, signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Ahmad I. Sajoh, argues that Amana State easily satisfies constitutional guidelines for state creation in terms of population, substantial landmass, and economic viability and sustainability.
The group also cites decades‑long agitation, noting that memoranda were submitted during every civilian and military state‑creation panel since 1967.
Echoing the long‑standing grievance, Sajoh described the matter as a “breach of trust” by successive governments.
The Senate panel is expected to collate all submissions and present recommendations later this year, though no timeline has been fixed for plenary consideration.
