Mixed reactions are trailing the call by the newly installed Olubadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja for the creation of Ibadan State.
DAILY POST reports that the proposed state is to be carved out from the present Oyo State and some part of Ondo State.
Ladoja’s call for the creation of Ibadan State came during his coronation in Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital, Ladoja.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to prioritize the creation of the state.
“My people sent me a message to Mr President. Mr President, they said the creation of Ibadan State is their priority,” he said.
The Ibadan State is part of the 46 states being proposed for creation from other regions of Nigeria before the National Assembly.
The bill for the creation of Ibadan State which was brought before the House of Representatives was sponsored by Hon. Abass Adigun, from Ibadan North-East/Ibadan South-East Federal Constituency.
The bill marks the initial step towards altering the constitution to establish a new state.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives took a major step towards the creation of the state, as the bill seeking to establish Ibadan State from the present Oyo State passed its second reading.
The proposed legislation is aimed at amending the 1999 constitution to officially recognise Ibadan as a state.
While leading the debate on the floor of the House, Adigun argued that the bill represents a “monumental step toward equitable development through true federalism and the fulfilment of the long-held aspiration of the people of Ibadan.”
He noted that despite Ibadan’s historical significance as the former capital of the old Western Region, alongside cities like Enugu and Kaduna that have since become states, it remains without such recognition.
According to the lawmaker, Ibadan possesses the required population size, economic capacity, and landmass to merit statehood. He also claimed that a single local government in Ibadan is larger than three combined local governments in Bayelsa State.
The state request has been generating mixed reactions.
Southwest doesn’t need additional State now – Aiyedatiwa’s aide
Hon Akindele Adeniyi, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Mobilization, said the creation of State should not be paramount in the Southwest now.
Adeniyi said the Southwest should be preoccupied with how to ensure developmental projects that would make things easy for people of the region and creation of additional states.
Speaking with DAILY POST, Adeniyi said: “They called for a public hearing in Abuja and they will go round the Southwest collating the views of the people.
“But for me, what we have on ground now is what we need to maintain. Regionalism is the most important so that whatever we get there we can use to take care of our region.
“We have six states in the Southwest; creating Ibadan State and removing part of Ondo to join another area is not what we should be doing at this moment.
“It’s how to stabilize what’s on ground, how to ensure developmental projects and all those things to make sure that everybody is living well in the society.
“So I don’t believe that the creation of the State should be what is paramount in our agenda.”
How Ibadan State will impact Southwest – APC
The Publicity Secretary of Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Seye Oladejo, said the creation of Ibadan State will have significant political, economic, and cultural implications on the Southwest.
Oladejo said: “The creation of Ibadan State should it come to fruition carries significant political, economic, and cultural implications for the South West region of Nigeria.”
He identified the implications of Ibadan State creation on the Southwest to include
He said: “Oyo State, as it currently stands, is one of the largest and most politically complex in the South West. The creation of Ibadan State would correct long-standing concerns about the concentration of power and resources in Ibadan within the larger Oyo structure.”
He added that it would give the people of Ibadan a distinct political identity and representation at the federal level, more senators, Representatives, and federal appointments.
Oladejo noted that for the “South West as a whole, the emergence of another state strengthens the region’s influence in national politics, particularly in federal decision-making and resource allocation.”
Stressing that the new state would enhance administrative efficiency, he said: “splitting the vast Oyo State will allow for more focused governance, development planning, and infrastructure delivery.”
The APC spokesman in Lagos State said Ibadan State if created would be more powerful economically.
“Already one of Nigeria’s oldest and most industrialized cities, Ibadan could serve as a more powerful economic nucleus – attracting industries, startups, and research centers to complement Lagos,” he added.
