Senator Gbenga Daniel, representing Ogun East and a former governor of Ogun State, has said the natives of Ogun State have reached an agreement for the creation of a new state from the old Ijebu province to be named Ijebu-Remo.
Daniel, who had, in November 2024, sponsored the bill for the establishment of the state from the old Ijebu province, comprising the Remo and Ijebu divisions, said the new name was decided upon at a meeting of the Remo Traditional Council on Thursday. All traditional rulers in Remoland attended.
Presenting his address on Friday at the public hearing on the Constitution Alterations Bills at the National Assembly, Daniel, a former governor of Ogun State, said the creation of the new state was a consensus among the natives.
“Our people in Remo at a meeting of the Traditional Council held yesterday, which was attended by almost all the Obas of Remoland, have expressed their desire to go with their kins in Ijebuland once their name and identity are reflected in the name of the proposed new state; Ijebu-Remo State, just like it was done for Akwa Ibom State.
“I need to emphasise that this is a general consensus, a development which I believe will make history for which our people will forever be grateful,” he said.
He noted that Ijebu had remained the only province without a state, emphasising that there is a need to correct what he described as “a mistake, unfair treatment, and injustice” over the years.
“But we are not here to demand a state not just because we deserve it through history, we are here to present our case in relation to the requirements of law. Our proposed state out of the old Ijebu province will be a child born with a silver spoon.
“The old Ijebu province is home to the fastest growing industrial hub in the country, the internally generated revenue from the region makes up a significant portion of Ogun State’s revenue,” Daniel added.
The former governor said the province was endowed with various opportunities and resources that would aid Nigeria’s development, including an international agro-cargo airport, a deep-sea port underway at Olokola FTZ, and an untapped supply of bitumen, crude oil, and limestone, as well as the cultural festival Ojude Oba.
“I am confident that if given an opportunity for us to manage our affairs, this homogeneous region with common cultural, language and social heritage will be a great addition to the collective prosperity of Nigeria,”Daniel added.
He, however, rallied his colleagues in the National Assembly to support the creation and ensure that President Bola Tinubu assented to the constitutional amendments.
If successful, Ijebu-Remo State would become one of the few new states carved out since the return to democracy in 1999, and a major addition to Nigeria’s evolving federal structure.
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