The attention of well-meaning stakeholders across Akoko land and beyond has been drawn to a series of vitriolic and intellectually vacuous press statements issued by several interest groups, including one so-called Diamond Group Nigeria and the Owo Youth General Assembly, purporting to dismiss the noble and long-overdue legislative initiative for the creation of Ose State, with Ikare Akoko as its proposed capital.
Ordinarily, the jejune tantrums of these groups, parading themselves as self-anointed custodians of the aspirations of an entire Senatorial District, ought to be consigned to the dustbin of irrelevance. However, in the interest of public enlightenment and the preservation of historical integrity, it has become imperative to deconstruct their fallacious narrative and expose its foundational shallowness.
To start with, contrary to the spurious claim that Owo is the only town worthy of state capital status, Ikare Akoko possesses an unassailable pedigree as a regional, administrative and commercial hub. Making Ikare Akoko the capital of the proposed Ose State is not a matter of sentiment, but of strategic centrality and developmental logic. For the record:
a.) Ikare was the headquarters of the defunct Akoko Division, which encompassed over 44 towns, villages, and communities.
b.) It has historically functioned as the de facto economic heartbeat of Northern Ondo, with a bustling population, and trans-regional markets that attract traders from across Kogi, Edo, Ekiti and even parts of the North Central part of Nigeria.
c.) As per the National Population Commission, Ikare’s population and density is equal if not more than that of Owo, with better geographic centrality within the proposed Ose State territory.
The Doctrine of Participatory Democracy entrenched in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), presupposes that constituent representation is dynamic and originates from popular will, not archaic entitlement or sentimental monarchism.
To that extent, Hon. Ifeoluwa Ehindero, being the elected representative of Akoko NorthEast/NorthWest, is acting well within his legislative competence and constitutional purview in sponsoring a bill reflecting the yearnings of his constituents. The assertion that consultation must precede legislative proposal is not only ridiculous but a laughable distortion of parliamentary norms; in a democracy, consultation is iterative, not unidirectional.
Let it be stated for the record that no statutory or moral obligation binds Hon. Ehindero to solicit permission from Owo before exercising legislative initiative. The National Assembly is not a council of traditional rulers.
It is both historically disingenuous and geographically irresponsible to assert that Owo must compulsorily be the capital of any new state in Ondo North. Such logic stems from a feudalistic mindset, utterly at odds with the progressive aspirations of our people.
We challenge all these naysayers, and their ilk to furnish empirical evidence that Owo surpasses Ikare in terms of population metrics, infrastructure footprint, road connectivity, commercial activity, telecommunication penetration, administrative centrality, et al.
A forensic review of all available data shows that Ikare outpaces Owo on virtually every index of modern development, except perhaps in royal grandstanding and political nostalgia.
The presumption that the capital of a new state must rest in the former colonial divisional seat is legally untenable and logically unsound. State capitals are not rewards for historical ego trips, but strategic decisions based on demography, accessibility, economic viability, and equity. For instance, Abeokuta, not Ijebu Ode is Ogun state’s capital. Awka, not Onitsha is Anambra state’s capital.
Clearly, the Federal Character Principle and the ideals of inclusive development support the emergence of Ikare, a melting pot of ethnic, religious, and economic convergence, as a unifying capital for the proposed Ose State.
The authors and sponsors of these naysaying statements should be reminded that the ultimate sovereignty in a constitutional democracy lies with the people, not with aristocratic cliques or self-appointed town criers. The people of Akoko, the most populous and geopolitically spread bloc in Nigeria, have long yearned for a state of their own, one that recognizes their demographic dominance and infrastructural potential. And their voice is only being amplified through this bill.
Let it be known that Owo is not the navel of Ondo North, and any attempt to superimpose its primacy by force or fiat is a futile pursuit.
We salute Hon. Ifeoluwa Ehindero for his courage, vision, and fidelity to the aspirations of the people. The bill for Ose State is not dead on arrival. It is alive, inspired, and firmly rooted in popular will.
And to those who feel otherwise, we echo the immortal words of Justice Dahiru Musdapher, “Justice is about fairness not sentiments, and fairness must be dispensed with eyes open, not blind.”
Signed:
Ife Ajibuwa Esq.
Constitutional Advocate & Public Affairs Analyst.
Owalukare Royal Family
Ikare Akoko, Ondo North.
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