Ogbomoso Recreation Club (ORC), has tackled the lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade federal constituency in Osun State, Wole Oke, over a draft bill for the creation of Oke Ogun State, with its capital in Iseyin
They described the move by the lawmaker as an insult to Ogbomoso land.
Recall that Hon Wole Oke, the chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, proposed a bill to amend the first schedule, part I of the constitution, to create three states, namely Oke-Ogun, Ijebu and Ife-Ijesa.
A statement by ORC National President, Dr. Akin Oladeji-Johnbrown, said ORC as a social club for sons and daughters of Ogbomosho regarded the proposed bill as lacking in depth and understanding of the political history of Ogbomoso land.
He said while the intention of the bill might be to give the supposed people of Oke Ogun State economic and political autonomy, such intention should not be blurred with parochial mention of Iseyin as the state capital, instead of Ogbomoso.
Oladeji-Johnbrown said: “Inclusion of Ogbomoso in the proposed state is insulting and totally uncalled for. Ogbomoso has always been the capital of Osun Northwest in Old Oyo State and also the largest commercial city with second highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the present Oyo State, with requisite infrastructural facilities for a state capital far ahead of Iseyin town.
“Ogbomoso as an integral part of Oyo State is even big enough to be considered to stand as an entity on its own. The cultural and political leadership of Ogbomoso is therefore not in doubt. Therefore listing Ogbomoso as a town in the proposed Oke Ogun State is very insulting and uncalled for.
“This is the initial reaction of ORC to the obnoxious bill as presented, which we believe must have been drafted with weak and insufficient background information.
“The proposed bill should therefore be thrown to the bin without any further debate. Necessary actions will be taken to ensure that the proposal will not see the light of the day. Ogbomoso can only be state capital if the proposed Oke Ogun State is at all created, but not Iseyin
