The proposals were presented on Saturday by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Biriyai Dambo (SAN), during the South South Centre A Public Hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution. The event, organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review, was held at the DSP Alamieyeseigha Banquet Hall, Yenagoa.
Justifying the demand for 25 new local councils to add to the existing eight, Dambo noted that many of Bayelsa’s LGAs are overcrowded, with some containing more than 150 communities. He said the creation of the new LGAs had already been endorsed by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly in line with Section 8(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
He further asserted that Bayelsa possesses the financial capacity to sustain the proposed LGAs.
The state also strongly advocated for fiscal federalism, including full control of natural resources located within state boundaries—both onshore and offshore. Under the proposed revenue-sharing formula, states would retain 60% of resource revenue, remitting 40% to the federal government.
