On Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved the second reading of a bill aimed at establishing the New Oyo State, with Oyo Town designated as its capital.
Sponsored by Hon. Adeniyi Adeyemi and six co-sponsors, the private member bill also proposes renaming the remaining part of Oyo State to Ibadan State, with Ibadan City as its capital. Additionally, it outlines the Local Government Areas for both states.
The move was part of the ongoing constitutional amendment and the second of its kind seeking to split the southwest state.
During his lead debate, Hon. Adeyemi highlighted that this bill is not a new proposal to the parliament; it was previously passed during the Second Republic by both chambers of the National Assembly, pending presidential assent, before being interrupted by military intervention in our democratic process.
“The then National Assembly in 1983 successfully passed a motion on the creation of New Oyo State with Oyo Town as its Capital. (See National Assembly Debates (Senate) Official Report. Volume 2. No. 24 of Wednesday 23” February, 1983).
“The 2014 National Conference held in Abuja also recommended in its final report for the creation of New Oyo State with Oyo town as its capital.
“This is stated in volume II page 708 of the report, It’s noteworthy that present Oyo State deserves to be split into two being the largest state in terms of landmass in the South-West geopolitical zone with thirty-three Local Governments and it has a population of 5,580,894 people (2006 census).
“The New Oyo State when created has all factors to be economically and politically viable and sustainable which include vast agricultural and water potentials.”
According to him, the three zones that constitute the proposed (New) Oyo State have abundant arable land for cash and staple crops; and abundant water resources for potable water, hydropower and irrigation.
While speaking on the abundant mineral resources endowment, he explained that the proposed New Oyo State is naturally endowed with mineral resources in commercial quantities including huge marble deposit gold, granites, kaolin, limestone, among others.
“Industries: the proposed state has booming traditional cloth weaving craft, metal works, rich leather works of international quality and standard, craft and wood carving which are of huge commercial values.
“Tourism: the proposed New Oyo State has a plethora of tourist attraction sites and historical monuments which would be a great source of internally generated resources including: Old Oyo National Park, the Upper Ogun games reserves, the Ado Awaye’s suspended Lake, hills of various features, the Manor House at Iseyin and the Igbo Ode (Royal Forest) at Igboho as well as the palace of Traditional Rulers in the various towns which are repositories of legends of Benin with the potential to boost international economic activities and tourism.
“In the same view, the call to make the Capital of the proposed New Oyo State is justified considering the physical administrative and government facilities currently situated in Oyo Town. Oyo metropolis is the repository and the citadel of the linguistic and cultural heritage of Yoruba land, the seat of the old Oyo Kingdom which encompassed the original provincial set up of the colonial master from which Ibadan Province was carved out in 1936, the Imperial Headquarters of Oyo Empire which extended beyond the boundary of Nigeria and it remained the provincial headquarters of Oyo province, after the creation of Ibadan Province.
“Oyo metropolis was also the divisional headquarters of Oyo division and the District Headquarters of Oyo District. Oyo host a good number of Tertiary Institutions (colleges and private and public universities). The Erelu Dam in Oyo metropolis supplies water to the four Local Government Areas in Oyo zones as second largest water reservoir in the present Oyo state.
“The Government reservation arca in Oyo metropolis is one of the first and the largest of G.R. As to be established in the country and could serve as temporary government house for the proposed New Oyo State. There are 14 functional branches of Ministries, Parastatals and Agencies of present Oyo State Government in Oyo metropolis which could be effectively used as take-off officers for the proposed new Oyo State.
“Oyo Town is the only provincial headquarters in the Federation today that has not become a State Capital, hence the call for balancing of this national equation. In term of security, the Nigeria Police Area Command in metropolitan Oyo which covers 14 of the 19 Local Government in the proposed (new) Oyo State can serve effectively as the Police Headquarters of the State Command in the proposed State. In addition, the Federal Medium Security Prison is currently situated in Oyo.”
He therefore solicited support for the passage of the bill, which he argued will “enhance socio-political and economy development of my people and Nigeria. The entire populace supports the ongoing national exercise of constitution review that will include new state creation, devolution of powers to the state and Local Governments and a swift return to true federalism.”
To this end, the bill was referred to the Special Ad-hoc Committee on Constitution Review for further legislative action
