The Bauchi State Government is set to create 13 new emirates, two chiefdoms, and 113 districts in the state, which heavily depends on the monthly allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) for its survival.
The proposal is part of the recommendations submitted on Friday by the Hamza Koshe Akuyam–led Committee on the Creation of New Emirates, Chiefdoms and Districts, which Governor Bala Mohammed inaugurated in July.
Alh. Akuyam, presenting the report at the Government House, said the committee reviewed 196 requests from communities across the state and said the new structures would promote justice, inclusiveness, and peaceful coexistence.
The decision comes at a time when Bauchi draws over 70% of its finances from the FAAC, which raises concerns about governance priorities and the financial burden on an already resource-strapped state.
While the governor hailed the committee’s report as a “transparent and painstaking exercise,” questions persist about funding services, with limited internally generated revenue.
Recall that at toward the end of Governor Isah Yuguda administration, he created additional traditional stools in the state which were reversed by his successor, Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar.
Analysts say expanding emirates and districts risks deepening political patronage, inflating the cost of governance, and diverting attention from urgent needs in health, education, and infrastructure. “This is a state where pensioners protest unpaid gratuities and schools lack teachers. Creating more emirates without a sustainable funding plan looks like symbolism over substance,” a political observer Musa Ahmad told WikkiTimes.
Civil society groups also warn that new traditional institutions could trigger disputes over boundaries, fuel ethnic competition, and further entrench elites while ordinary citizens struggle with poverty and insecurity.
Governor Mohammed said the reforms were aimed at “unbundling Bauchi” for easier governance and giving communities a sense of belonging. He acknowledged the process could be painful for some existing monarchs but argued that such restructuring has been carried out in other parts of Nigeria.
He pledged to forward the committee’s report to the State House of Assembly “intact” and urged lawmakers to expedite legislative action devoid of “ethno-religious and political sentiments.”
