The Ogbomoso Valliant Club, a forum of Ogbomoso elders, has advocated the creation of New Oyo State with the capital at Ogbomoso.
By Adeyemi Adeleye
The Ogbomoso Valliant Club, a forum of Ogbomoso elders, has advocated the creation of New Oyo State with the capital at Ogbomoso.
Retired Rear Adm.Jacob Ajani, President of the Club, made the call while presenting “A Bill to Provide for the Creation of the New Oyo State ” to the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, on Saturday on Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Senate Committee on the Constitution Review on Friday and Saturday conducted public hearings on requests for the review of the constitution across the geo-political zones.
Creation of new states is listed as part of the areas of focus for the public hearing.
Ajani said that Oyo State with approximately land mass of 28, 500 squares kilometres is excessively big, compared to the entire south east states with about 29,300 square kilometres.
He said there the need to create New Oyo State to de-populate existing Oyo State and develop the great potential of the proposed state
“Oyo State alone is about the present South East of five States. So, if they (South East) can have five states, it is not too much to ask for a New Oyo State with capital in Ogbomoso,” he said.
Ajani said that if Ibadan State was granted and probably Ibarapa, the rest of the local governments in the present Oyo State should form the new Oyo State .
According to him, in the Southwest after Lagos, Oyo State is next in terms of population.
He said that the areas making the proposed state have tourist attractions ,historical monuments, arable land and several institutions to make it a viable state.
Ajani also said it the proposed New Oyo State was approved, it would have 19 local government areas and, ” that is far above what we have in Bayelsa as a state with just eight local governments”.
On why the capital should be in Ogbomoso ,Ajani said that Ogbomoso is historically significant and that it is strategically located with a lot economic activities.
He added that Ogbomoso has population advantage as it is the third most populated city in South Western Nigeria, after Lagos and Ibadan.