Osun Lawmaker Proposes Creation Of Ife-Ijesha State, Silent On Capital

The lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, Osun State, at the House of Representatives, Hon. Oluwole Oke, has proposed a bill for the creation of Ife-Ijesa State.

Oke, through the bill, was seeking the creation of three additional states in the South-West.

The two other states included in the bill are, Oke-Ogun and Ijebu.

The proposed legislation is titled “A Bill for an Act to amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended)”.

Oke sought an amendment to the First Schedule, Part I of the Constitution to read, “The First Schedule, Part I of the Constitution is amended by introducing new states and reducing the number of local government areas.”

In the draft bill, the proposed Oke-Ogun State, with Iseyin as the proposed capital city, would be made up of 12 local government areas, including Olorunsogo, Irepo, Oorelope, Ogbomosho North, Ogbomosho South, Saki-East, Saki-West, Atisbo, Itesiwaju, Iwajowa, Kajola, and Iseyin.

On the other hand, Ijebu State, when created, will comprise Ijebu East, Ijebu North-East, Ijebu Ode, Ikenne, Odogbolu, Ogun Waterside, Remo North, and Sagamu LGAs. The proposed capital city for Ijebu State is Ijebu Ode.

According to Oke, who is the Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Ife Ijesa State is to be made up of 11 local governments of Atakunmosa East, Atakunmosa West, Boluwaduro, Ife Central, Ife East, Ife North, Ife South, Ilesa East, Ilesa West, Obokun, and Oriade.

However, the lawmaker failed to propose a state capital for Ife-Ijesha.

In a letter dated February 6, 2024, and addressed to the Clerk of the House, Oke wrote: “I wish to forward the above-mentioned bill to your office for further necessary legislative action to enable me to move the same in our great green chamber, sir.”

The South-West geopolitical zone is currently made up of six federating units, which are Ondo, Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, and Ekiti states.

If Oke’s bill scales legislative hurdles, the region would surpass the North-West, which currently has seven states, the highest among the other zones of North-Central, North-East, South-West, South-South, and South-East.

Section 9 (1) of the Constitution states that the National Assembly can only pass an Act to amend the Constitution when its proposal is supported by a two-thirds majority of all the members of each chamber (72 senators and 240 House of Representatives members) and approved by the resolution of at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly (24 states).