- The bill was effectively passed in the Second Republic by both chambers (National Assembly) awaiting the presidential asset
On Tuesday, the measure seeking to create the New Oyo State with Oyo Town as its capital city passed the House of Representatives’ second reading.
Hon. Adeniyi Adeyemi and six others sponsored the private member bill, which observed the effect of the consequential change of the name of the remaining part of Oyo State to Ibadan State, with Ibadan City as Capital City and defined for Local Government Areas comprising the two States.
In his lead discussion, Hon. Adeyemi, who remarked that the law is not new to the parliament, reminded that the bill was effectively passed in the Second Republic by both chambers (National Assembly) awaiting the presidential asset before our military interregnum.
“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
“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.