Amana State Movement Presses Case at Public Hearing, Cites Broken Promises and Economic Strength

Alhaji Sali Bello, Director General of the Movement

The campaign for the creation of Amana State took centre stage in Abuja on Tuesday as its leaders told federal lawmakers that Nigeria must now redeem a promise made more than six decades ago.

At a public hearing of the House of Representatives held at the Transcorp Hilton, the Director General of the Movement, Alhaji Sali Bello, argued that the people of the proposed state have waited since 1961 for commitments made to them at Nigeria’s independence to be honoured.

Bello, who holds the title of Dan Amar Mubi, reminded the lawmakers that the territory joined Nigeria through a plebiscite as a “Trust Territory.” He recalled the assurances given then by the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, Premier of Northern Nigerian that the area would enjoy autonomy as a sub-national entity, and that Mubi, its capital, would grow on par with Kano and Katsina. “These promises have largely and regrettably remained unfulfilled,” he declared.

Beyond history, Bello leaned on numbers. He said the proposed Amana State covers 6,919 square kilometres bigger than four existing states and has a projected population of 3.2 million. With three Emirates, two Chiefdoms and up to 20 viable local government areas, he insisted the region has the capacity and governance structures required for statehood.

He painted Mubi as the economic heartbeat of Adamawa, describing its sprawling trade in goods and animals as a magnet for buyers from across Nigeria and neighbouring countries. “Over 60 percent of Adamawa’s GDP comes from our zone,” he claimed, adding that if the Uba Chiefdom from Borno were included, the new state’s GDP would surpass that of more than half the states in the federation.

The region, Bello said, is not just rich in people and markets but also in institutions and resources. It hosts a Federal University of Agriculture, a State University, a Federal Polytechnic and a Federal Medical Centre. Its farmlands produce both cash and food crops in abundance, while the Mubi cattle market is regarded as one of the largest in West Africa. Beneath its soil, he said, lie untapped solid minerals, including uranium.

Calling Amana “a state ready for self-reliance,” Bello urged lawmakers to weigh the case on merit and to close a chapter left open since 1961. “Erase the burden of trust hanging on the Nigerian state,” he told the hearing.