The House of Representatives has advanced a bill to its second reading, proposing the division of Oyo State into two separate states.
The bill, which amends the constitution, was introduced by Akeem Adeyemi (APC, Oyo) and six other co-sponsors. It aims to establish a new state named Oyo State, designating Oyo town as its capital. The remaining portion of the current Oyo State would be renamed Ibadan State, with Ibadan as the capital city.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen noted that the bill was straightforward and did not require discussion, leading to its referral to the Committee on Constitutional Review for further examination.
Oyo State originally came into existence on February 3, 1976, after the former Western State was divided during General Murtala Mohammed’s military rule. Over time, there have been multiple attempts to carve out new states from Oyo, with previous efforts to create Oke-Ogun and Ibadan states failing to pass.
In the current constitutional review process, another bill, sponsored by Oluwole Oke (PDP, Osun), seeks to establish Oke-Ogun State.
