By Adeyinka Adeniran
The All Progressives Congress APC in Oyo state has made a passionate appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider Ibadan- the Oyo state capital as the headquarters and main operation base of the soon-to-be-established South West Development Commission in the interest of the generality of the people of the geopolitical zone.
The Senate recently passed into law the Bill establishing the Commission which would be saddled with specific responsibilities expected to facilitate collective growth and development of the six states in the South West geopolitical zone. Meanwhile, the National Assembly is believed to have acted promptly to strike a balance among all the six geopolitical zones in the country since similar commissions have been in existence in other zones such as South South and North East.
In a statement issued at the weekend and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC applauded the National Assembly for the speedy passage of the Bill which it described as imperative to guarantee equity, fairness and national integration. “The SWDC, if well structured and fully funded, would bridge the gap in the areas of special interventions, focused attention and infrastructural development.
“The idea of a South West Development Commission goes beyond replicating what has been done in other geopolitical zones. We welcome it wholeheartedly as it holds a lot promise to the South West which has a unique record of regional integration and innovative leadership. The new Commission will, no doubt, afford the people of the South West a platform for collaboration, innovation and peer support.
“Pointedly, the location of the main operation base or headquarters of the Commission is as important as its creation. Without mincing words, no other town or city comes close to Ibadan as an ideal place to harbour the headquarters of SWDC with its liaison offices in Ikeja, Akure, Abeokuta, Ado-Ekiti, Osogbo and Abuja. There are many reasons for this submission and none of which can be wished away by the people who mean well for the entire Yoruba race.
“Apart from being the headquarters of the defunct Western Region, Ibadan offers a sense of belonging to all and sundry especially the good people of the Yoruba race. The ancient city is where an average Yoruba man or woman can call home and this explains why every Hamlet, village and town across Yorubaland and beyond has their representation in Ibadan either as residents of critical stakeholders. Besides, citing the headquarters of SWDC in Ibadan would create a leverage to all the six states while there would not any room for unfair treatment or any imbalance in the running and operation of the Commission.
“It is also worthy of note that meaningful partnership with the Development Agenda for the Western Nigeria (DAWN Commission) would accelerate quiche realization of the goals and objectives of the SWDC and we want the relevant stakeholders to look in this direction. We use this opportunity to warn again sabotage, from any quarters, as the Commission is expected to be activated and swing into action immediately with good funding from the federal government and other relevant stakeholders including the governors in the zone.” APC added.
