Diamond Group Nigeria Rejects Proposed Ose State Bill, Demands Owo as Capital
Diamond Group Nigeria Rejects Proposed Ose State Bill, Demands Owo as Capital
A socio-political advocacy group, Diamond Group Nigeria, has come out strongly against a proposed bill in the National Assembly seeking to create a new state out of Ondo State, named Ose State, with its proposed capital in Ikare Akoko.
In a strongly worded statement signed by its Convener, Toyyib Musa-Omoloja (Archdiamond), the group described the bill as “dead on arrival,” criticizing the lawmaker sponsoring the bill, Hon. Ifeoluwa Ehindero, who represents Akoko NorthEast and Akoko NorthWest Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
The bill, which reportedly had its first reading recently, aims to carve out a new state from the present Ondo North Senatorial District. However, the exclusion of Owo—a historically significant town in the region—from the proposed state capital has sparked sharp criticism from stakeholders.
According to Diamond Group Nigeria, any new state proposed in the Northern Senatorial District without naming Owo as the capital is “an idea that is congenitally jinxed” and will not receive popular support. The group insisted that Owo, being the former headquarters of the Old Owo Division and arguably the most developed part of the district, must not be sidelined in any state creation discourse.
They also berated Hon. Ehindero for what they termed a “cart-before-the-horse” approach, noting that he declared intentions to begin consultations after the bill’s presentation rather than before. “How do we explain the fact that the Honourable Member said he will begin consultation with the affected areas during the presentation of the jinxed bill?” the group asked.
The group further emphasized that Hon. Ehindero does not represent the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency and therefore lacks the mandate to speak or act on behalf of the Owo people. “Nobody can shave a man’s head in his absence,” the statement read, warning that no state creation process would be legitimate without full involvement of all affected stakeholders, particularly the people of Owo.
Highlighting Owo’s historical, infrastructural, and economic advantages, the group maintained that the town must be the capital of any new state arrangement that may emerge. Anything less, they stated, would be “an egregious variant of the ills” the proposed bill claims to address.
As the debate over the Ose State bill intensifies, political observers say this development may trigger a wider conversation on inclusion, historical legacy, and regional equity in future state creation initiatives.
Full details Read:
*PRESS STATEMENT*
*OSE STATE BILL: DEAD ON ARRIVAL*- *DIAMOND GROUP NIGERIA*
*Diamond Group Nigeria* is amazed by the publication in several media outlets the first reading of the bill on the creation of a particular Ose State which will have its headquarters in Ikare Akoko.
The misbegotten bill is being sponsored by Hon. Ifeoluwa Ehindero, the legislator representing Akoko NorthEast and Akoko NorthWest Federal Constituency in Ondo North Senatorial District.
To start with, any idea of a new state having the present Ondo North Senatorial District as its main component without Owo as the Capital is an idea that is congenitally jinxed, and will never see the light of the day.
The people of Owo are surprised that a legislator in the hallowed chamber of the National Assembly will not know how to go about his responsibilities in the parliament. Pray, how do we explain the fact that the concerned Honourable Member said he will begin consultation with the affected areas during the presentation of the jinxed bill. Shouldn’t consultation precede the whole idea abinitio?
Owo has always been a preeminent town in Ondo State, Southwest geopolitical zone and Nigeria as a whole. To imagine that an idea as momentous as the carving out of the present Northern Senatorial District from the present Ondo State is being broached without any input or contribution from the ancient Kingdom of Owo beats human imagination.
The Group is dismayed that a bill that purports to redress injustice and ensure fairness started out with an egregious variant of the ills it intends to correct. Owo was the headquarters of the Old Owo Division that comprises today Akoko and Ose localities. And no part of the Ondo North Senatorial District can boast of being more developed than Owo. So, on what grounds will the proposed Ose State relegate Owo to a mere onlooker in the scheme of things?
The shock about this stillborn project has been mitigated by the exposure of the ill- motive behind the controversial bill. During his presentation, Honourable Ehindero said he is committed to championing the Interests of his constituents. Owo/Ose Federal Constituency is not part of the mandate of Honourable Ifeoluwa Ehindero and he cannot, therefore, speak for the people of Owo without their consent.
Diamond Group Nigeria reiterates that nobody can shave a man’s head in his absence, and as such, the carving out of a new state out of the present Ondo State should be a joint enterprise that will involve all stakeholders. And because of historical, geographical, traditional, infrastructural, economic and other developmental advantages nature confers on the ancient Kingdom of Owo, Owo cannot be anything else other than State Capital in any new state arrangement that might be mooted today or tomorrow.
*Signed:*
*Toyyib Musa-Omoloja*
*Archdiamond,*
*Diamond Group Nigeria.*
