National Assembly: We want Oke-Ogun State, not New Oyo State
A request was recently presented to the National Assembly by some people claiming that Oke-Ogun people subscribed to their agitation. Their submission is nothing but a sham and a charade. The body that calls itself NOSFORM, meaning New Oyo State, is a self-seeking body, desperate to co-opt Oke-Ogun people to buy into their agitation. It […]
A request was recently presented to the National Assembly by some people claiming that Oke-Ogun people subscribed to their agitation. Their submission is nothing but a sham and a charade. The body that calls itself NOSFORM, meaning New Oyo State, is a self-seeking body, desperate to co-opt Oke-Ogun people to buy into their agitation. It is a perjury and the request be discarded because Oke-Ogun people have already submitted a request for the creation of Oke-Ogun state since last year.
To start with, what is New Oyo State? Which area constitutes New Oyo State? Who are the signatories to the request? On May 26, 2009, the people of Oke-Ogun broke the jinx of a defeatist syndrome by not allowing some self-serving individuals who have been misleading the populace to continue doing so in the current dispensation. To checkmate the excesses of such disgruntled elements in their fold, they maintained. A common front, approached the National Assembly to carve for them, a new state from the present Oyo State to be named, Oke-Ogun State and not New Oyo State. Oke-Ogun wants to have a clear identity and not a misleading one as was concocted by the movers of New Oyo State. Over the years, it is the same set of people who have been parading themselves as people’s leaders but without followers. These are the same people who could not mobilize their own family members, let alone coordinating a section of their villages, but fooling themselves around as the champion of Oke-Ogun people. They are speculators who have no base, let alone the support of Oke-Ogun people.
The records the people of Oke-Ogun submitted contained the names of all political office holders in and from Oke-Ogun area across the levels from the Councillors to the National Assembly members and not faceless. Notable Traditional Rulers, Community Leaders [Towns Chairmen], opinion leaders, captains of industries and professionals who are bonafide sons and daughters of Oke-Ogun. If these set of people mentioned have signed all the documents requesting the creation of Oke-Ogun State, they cannot sign another treaty for the creation of what the speculators called, New Oyo State.
To the best of Oke-Ogun peoples knowledge also, there was no time they contemplated jettisoning their own aspiration to team-up for the non-existent New Oyo State. Oke-Ogun is not a mere geographical location but a distinct entity. The committee also will discover that Oke-Ogun people’s request is unique, genuine and with the support of the entire people of the area. Oke-Ogun people will not and cannot support an intangible and invisible proposed state of New Oyo State. Agitators who have been requesting the creation of states through the National Assembly have been very definitive about their aspirations like Oke-Ogun, Ijebu, Karadua, Tsiga, Apa, Gurara, Okun, Aba, Katagum, Borgu, Oduduwa etc. Nobody has ever approached National Assembly asking them to create new this or new that. Given the confusion trailing the name of the proposed state by the proponents of New Oyo State, it shows the shallowness, baseless and uncoordinated plan of the group. They are nowhere, but just floating, thinking that presenting of memo to the National Assembly will cajole the lawmakers to accede to their request without verification.
It is not only for the identity of Oke-Ogun area but because of common peculiarities and accommodation of other nationalities residing in the area. The proposed Oke-Ogun has ten [10] local government areas with their headquarters are Iseyin Local Government (Iseyin); Kajola Local Government (Okeho); Iwajowa Local Government (Iwere-Ile); Itesiwaju Local Government (Otu); Atisbo Local Government (Tede); Shaki East Local Government (Ago-Amodu); Shaki West Local Government (Shaki); Oorelope Local Government (Igboho); Irepol Local Government (Kishi) , Olorunsogo Local Government (Igbeti). The area has natural resources to jump-start its economy when it is created. This is apart from the agricultural resourcefulness of the area, which confers on it the slogan, ‘Oke-Ogun, the food basket of Oyo State’. This agricultural resourcefulness of the area has blossomed to the point that other parts of the country are now accessing Oke-Ogun for food supply.
Koleoso Adelowo, No 25, Dutse Alhaji, Bwari Area Council, Abuja.