List of Southwest States That May Be Split and Why

• The National Assembly has been on the mission to review Nigeria's constitution and creation of new states has been at the centre of the discussion
• In the southwest, no less than four new states have been proposed so far and the bills for their proposals have passed the second reading in the House of Representatives
• However, if the bill pass through and the states were created, no less that three of the six southwest states would be split and their structures would change

Southwest is one of the regions that is advocating for more states. The desire of the region may be realised in the ongoing constitutional review, as there are at least three states under discussion, and they have passed second reading.

In January 2025, the chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, said that the amendment would be completed in December 2025.

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Currently, the bills to create new states in the southwest are among many others that have passed the second reading in the House of Representatives. The bills sought to create Ijebu, Ibadan, Oke Ogun, and Ife Ijesa states.

If the state creation finally comes to realisation, at least three of the six states in the southwest will be affected in the split. How this will happen and the states that would be affected are explained below:

Oyo State

Creating the Ibadan and Oke Ogun or New Oyo state means that the current Oyo state will be divided into two, at least. This is due to the fact that the areas seeking state autonomy are all under the current Oyo state.

At the inauguration of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, the traditional ruler told President Bola Tinubu that the people of the Oyo state capital want Ibadan state to come to realisation, adding that his demand was the voice of the majority, and they want it before the 2027 election.

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In October 2024, a bill to divide Oyo state into Ibadan and Oyo scaled second reading. The bill sought to make both towns the capital of the proposed states.

However, Wale Adeagbo, an Ibadan-born legal practitioner, confirmed to Legit.ng that there are agitations to divide Oyo state and that the quest for Ibadan state to come into existence is genuine, but for Oyo to have the state and capital would not capture the oneness required in the agitation.

He said:

"I don’t think this Bill will fly, although I haven’t read the content of the Bill itself. What I seem to get from the video is that some parts of Oyo State will still be sidelined. Why is the Capital of the proposed State Oyo and not Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun, or Saki?"

Ogun state

If the dream of having Ijebu state comes to realisation, it means that Ogun state will also be divided. There has been agitation for the creation of Ijebu state since the era of the military.

The bill to create the Ijebu state, passing through the second reading in the Lower Chamber, is a testament to the demand for the decentralisation of power in the southwest state. The proponents have argued that the Ijebu people deserved their own state because of the historic and economic significance of the region.

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Osun State

Another state that may be divided is Osun because of the bill to create the Ife-Ijesa state. Thus, if the creation of the proposed bill were to come to realisation, it would mean Osun would be the third state in the region to be divided.

According to Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives and chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, the constitutional amendment which started in January 2025, will be completed in December.

NASS removes police from National Pension Commission

Legit.ng earlier reported that the House of Representatives had on Tuesday, October 21, passed a bill to remove the police from the National Pension Commission.

This was as the National Assembly moved to create the Nigerian Police Force Pension Board, with the new bill.

The new development would make the police officers' pension system be distinct from that of the military and other security forces.

Source: Legit.ng