National Assembly Moves to Create New State in Southwest, Details Emerge

• The House of Representatives has moved to divide Oyo into two different states, Ibadan and Oyo
• Akeem Adeyemi and six other lawmakers are sponsoring the constitutional amendment bill, with the capital of Oyo in Oyo town and Ibadan in Ibadan city
• The move was part of the ongoing constitutional amendment and the second of its kind seeking to split the southwest state

Oyo state is on the edge of being divided into two distinct states. This is as the bill sponsored by Akeem Adeyemi, the son of the late Alaafin of Oyo, and six federal lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed through the second reading.

According to the bill, a new Oyo state would be created from Oyo, and its capital would be Oyo town. The second one would be Ibadan state, which is currently the capital, and its capital would be Ibadan.

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Speaker takes action on bill to split Oyo

Premium Times reported that the bill has passed its second reading without debate, as Speaker Abbas Tajudeen considered it "straightforward legislation." This development is not the first attempt to divide Oyo state, as previous bills seeking to create Oke-Ogun and Ibadan states failed to gain traction.

Interestingly, another bill sponsored by Oluwole Oke is currently underway, proposing the creation of Oke-Ogun State.

Oyo State was initially formed from the former Western State on February 3, 1976, during General Murtala Mohammed's military regime. The state has undergone changes before, with Osun state being split off in 1991. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Constitutional Review for further legislative action.

Constitutional amendment: NA discusses state creations

Since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, several bills to create new states have been introduced in the ongoing constitutional amendment. The proposal for new states has cut across all regions, mostly in the southeast and southwest.

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If the moves are successful, it would be the first time in the country's history that a new state is created during democracy.

Speaking on the development, an Ibadan-born lawyer, Wale Adeagbo, expressed optimism about the bill in an interview with Legit.ng, saying, "I don’t think this Bill will fly."

He told said:

"The Bill, as it were, doesn’t seem to come from a standpoint of building oneness or true nationalism. To me, it is coming from a place of self-centredness."

State creation: Lawyer explains what should be done

Legit.ng earlier reported that the National Assembly's recent moves to create new states in the country may be the wrong step for Nigeria in the face of economic challenges.

Titilope Anifowoshe, a legal practitioner, in an interview with Legit.ng, posited that some states in Nigeria could not generate internal revenue and creating other states could mount more pressure on the federal government.

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Anifowoshe then suggested that a new and working local government would bring government nearer to the people than creating new states.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng