At the South-West Zonal Public Hearing on the amendment of the 1999 Constitution, held in Lagos, stakeholders from the region submitted far-reaching proposals, including the creation of five new states and constitutional roles for traditional rulers.
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, representing Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barawu, revealed the specific state creation bills being considered.
These include Ijebu State from Ogun, Coastal State from Ondo, Igbomina State from parts of Osun, Ekiti, and Kwara, and both Ibadan and New Oyo States from Oyo.
“The request of the people of the South-West before us include Bill for creation of Ijebu State from Ogun State, Bill for creation of Coastal State from Ondo as well as Igbomina State from the three states of Osun, Ekiti and Kwara, bill for creation of Ibadan State from Oyo State as well as New Oyo State also from Oyo State with state capital in Oyo,” Bamidele stated.
Also on the agenda were calls for the recognition of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) created in Lagos since 2003, and boundary adjustments between Lagos and Ogun States. Other proposals included altering the name of Irewole Local Government in Osun State to Ikire.
Bamidele emphasized the importance of constitutional roles for traditional rulers and women’s reserved seats in legislative houses. He, however, noted that previous attempts at constitutional backing for traditional institutions failed due to lack of support from state Houses of Assembly.
He explained, “The last 1999 constitution amendment that we did during the 9th Senate, we almost got there, we almost succeeded with having constitutional roles for our traditional rulers but the law says that constitutional amendment required the approval of 2/3 of the state assemblies in our 36 States.
“That is where it got stalled but I want to advise that as traditional rulers, you have to do a lot of advocacy, you have to take your case to conference of Speakers of the state House of Assembly to get their support. You have to do a lot more too to talk to governors, present your case before the Governor’s Forum because that has always been where the challenge lies.”
Speaking for the traditional rulers, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, clarified that their quest for constitutional recognition is not for rivalry with political leaders but for effective collaboration in governance.
He stated, “The demand of the traditional rulers to be given constitutional roles is not because they want to be rubbing shoulders with the government but to rather complement government’s efforts and be on the same page in providing qualitative leadership for the people.”
Supporting the call were several first-class monarchs, including the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, Olowo of Owo Kingdom, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotobi, and the Dagburewe of Idowa, Oba Sikiru Okuribido, representing the Awujale of Ijebu land, Oba Kayode Adetona. They maintained that traditional rulers already play vital roles in areas such as conflict resolution, security, and social development and that constitutional powers would enhance their contributions.
The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by Deputy Governor Dr Obafemi Hamzat, echoed the need for constitutional recognition of the 37 LCDAs in Lagos.
“For instance Alimosho Local Government with a population of almost same as Bayelsa State had to be broken into six LCDAs, even Kano with almost same population as Lagos State has 44 Local Governments, Jigawa with 27 local government was later created out of Kano State, yet Lagos is still expected to continue to have 20 Local Government.
“It is just fair and proper to have the LCDAs created about 22 years ago to be listed into the country’s constitution and be given due recognition just like other local governments across the country,” he said.
Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly and Chairman of the South-West Conference of Speakers, Adeoye Aribasoye, described the constitutional review as long overdue. He pledged the support of lawmakers in the region toward securing local government autonomy, legislative independence, and official roles for traditional rulers.
Former Ogun State governor and current senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, made a strong case for the creation of Ijebu State. According to him, the demand aims to correct historic imbalances.
He said, “Of all the provinces created by the colonial government over a 100 year ago such as Oyo, Sokoto, Ondo, among others only Ijebu Province has not been made a state.”
Daniel added that the Ijebu people possess the land, resources, and population required to drive the state’s development. He also revealed that the Remo people have agreed to support the creation of the state, provided their identity is included in the name, suggesting “Ijebu Remo State” as a suitable compromise.
Additional state creation proposals made at the event included Ibadan State, New Oyo State, Coastal State, and Igbomina State, as well as a renewed call for gender inclusion through reserved seats for women in legislative bodies.
