A bill seeking the alteration of the 1999 Constitution to create a new Oyo State passed its second reading in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

According to the sponsor of the bill, Akeem Adeyemi, the proposed state will have Oyo town as its capital city.

Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Adeyemi, who represents Oyo Federal Constituency in Oyo State, stated that the agitation for the creation of New Oyo State is not entirely new, adding that “The 2014 national conference held in Abuja recommended in its final report the creation of New Oyo State with Oyo town as its capital.”

He said, “It’s noteworthy that the present Oyo State deserves to be split into two, being the largest state in terms of landmass in the South-West geopolitical zone, with 33 local governments and a population of 5,580,894 people (2006 census). The New Oyo State, when created, will have all the factors to be economically and politically viable and sustainable.”

He listed vast agricultural and water potentials, mineral resources including gold, kaolin, and limestone, as well as tourism, as some of the endowments that would give the proposed state a head start when created.

He continued, “The call to make Oyo town 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 citadel of the linguistic and cultural heritage of Yoruba land, the seat of the old Oyo Kingdom, which encompassed the original provincial setup of the colonial masters from which Ibadan Province was carved out in 1936.

“The Erelu Dam in Oyo metropolis supplies water to the four local government areas in Oyo zones and is the second largest water reservoir in the present Oyo State. The Government Reservation Area in Oyo metropolis is one of the first and largest GRAs to be established in the country and could serve as a temporary Government House for the proposed New Oyo State.

“There are 14 functional branches of ministries, parastatals, and agencies of the present Oyo State Government in Oyo metropolis, which could be effectively used as take-off offices for the proposed New Oyo State. Oyo town is the only provincial headquarters in the federation today that has not become a state capital, hence the call for balancing of this national equation.

“In terms of security, the Nigeria Police Area Command in metropolitan Oyo, which covers 14 of the 19 local governments in the proposed New Oyo State, can effectively serve as the Police Headquarters of the State Command in the proposed state.”

He also added that the Federal Medium Security Prison is currently situated in Oyo town.

The bill is expected to be subjected to a public hearing ahead of the third reading and concurrence by the Senate.

[Punch]