By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has passed for second reading “A bill seeking the alteration of the 1999 Constitution to create a New Oyo State” on Thursday at plenary.
The bill which is sponsored by Rep. Akeem Adeyemi, lawmaker representing Oyo Federal Constituency of Oyo State,
will have Oyo town as the capital city.
Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Rep. Adeyemi said the agitation for the creation of New Oyo State is not entirely new.
He said: “The 2014 national conference held in Abuja recommended in its final report for the creation of New Oyo State with Oyo town as its capital.”
“It’s noteworthy that the present Oyo State deserves to be split into two being the largest state in terms of landmass in the South-West geo-political zone with 33 local governments and a population of 5,580,894 people (2006 census). The New Oyo State when created, has all the factors to be economically and politically viable and sustainable.”
He highlighted the expansive agricultural and water potentials, mineral resources including gold, kaolin and limestone as well as tourism as some of the endowments that would give the proposed State a head start when created.
“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 Erelu Dam in Oyo metropolis supplies water to the four Local Government Areas in Oyo zones as the second largest water reservoir in the present Oyo state. The Government Reservation Area in the Oyo metropolis is one of the first and the largest GRAs to be established in the country and could serve as a 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 terms of security, the Nigeria Police Area Command in metropolitan Oyo which covers 14 of the 19 Local Governments in the proposed New Oyo State can serve effectively as the Police Headquarters of the State Command in the proposed State”, he added.
The lawmaker emphasised that the Federal Medium Security Prison was currently situated in Oyo town.
This piece of legislation is expected to be subjected to a public hearing ahead of third reading and concurrence by the Senate.