The renewed campaign to create Ijebu State has once again placed an old aspiration at the centre of public conversation. For generations, political leaders, traditional institutions and community stakeholders across Ijebuland have argued that the region possesses the history, identity, population and economic potential required to stand as a state within the Nigerian federation.
Among the strongest contemporary voices in that campaign is Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, OFR, whose advocacy presents the demand not as an attempt to divide people, but as an expression of democracy, administrative efficiency and federal balance.
Having served as Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, and Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Isola approaches the question of state creation from the perspective of governance and national development. His argument rests broadly on four pillars: more efficient administration, economic viability, preservation of cultural identity and fairer representation within Nigeria’s federal structure.
The central point of his advocacy is straightforward. Ogun State is large, diverse and administratively demanding. The Ijebu people possess distinct institutions, historical traditions and an entrepreneurial culture that could benefit from a government focused more directly on their developmental priorities. In his view, smaller and more cohesive administrative units can improve accountability, bring government closer to citizens and create stronger competition among regions.
His experience in the United Kingdom also appears to shape that outlook. Devolution within the British political structure demonstrates that regional autonomy does not necessarily weaken a country. Properly managed, it can deepen participation and strengthen national unity by allowing communities to take greater responsibility for their own development.
The constitutional case for a new state is therefore legitimate. Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution provides a process through which state creation can be pursued, even though that process is deliberately rigorous. The cultural case is equally difficult to dismiss. Ijebuland has a recognisable identity, an established traditional system under the Awujale and historical landmarks such as Sungbo’s Eredo, alongside centuries of trade, migration, craftsmanship and political organisation.
Economically, the wider Ijebu and Remo region contains commercial centres, agricultural communities, industrial corridors, educational institutions and a substantial population. These factors support the argument that the demand for a new state is one Nigeria cannot continue to avoid if the country is genuinely committed to restructuring, fiscal responsibility and effective federalism.
However, there is an important distinction between the constitutional creation of a state and the long-term survival of that state.
State creation is a legal and political process. State sustainability is an economic calculation.
That calculation becomes particularly important when the boundaries of the proposed state are being discussed. The most critical question is not simply whether Ijebu deserves a state. It is whether the proposed state will be broad, productive and balanced enough to provide services without transferring the cost of political ambition to ordinary citizens.
This is where the relationship between Ijebu and Remo becomes decisive.
Ijebu Without Remo: A State with Thinner Economic Muscles
In cultural and historical terms, Ijebuland is generally associated with Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu North, Ijebu East, Ijebu North East, Odogbolu and Ogun Waterside. Remoland comprises Sagamu, Ikenne and Remo North. Although Remo has developed a strong and distinct identity over time, its historical roots remain connected to the wider Ijebu civilisation.
A proposed Ijebu State that excludes Sagamu, Ikenne and Remo North may retain a powerful cultural identity, but it would begin its existence without some of the most important economic and infrastructural assets in Ogun East.
The first major concern is internally generated revenue.
Sagamu and its surrounding industrial corridor provide access to manufacturing, logistics, haulage, warehousing and commercial activity linked to the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. Businesses operating within this axis contribute through company-linked economic activity, employee taxes, property charges and other revenue channels.
Removing that industrial belt from the proposed state would leave Ijebu-Ode’s commercial economy, the agricultural base of Ijebu North and Ijebu East, tourism assets and coastal opportunities to carry a greater proportion of the fiscal burden.
Those resources are significant, but they may not be enough to guarantee rapid financial independence during the first decade of statehood. Without Remo, the new state could become more dependent on monthly allocations from the Federation Account while it attempts to build its own institutions and expand its tax base.
The second concern is infrastructure.
Remo provides access to one of the country’s most strategic road corridors. Sagamu connects Lagos, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Benin and several communities across the South-West and South-South. The railway and logistics possibilities around the corridor further strengthen its economic value.
A state without these connections would need to invest aggressively in alternative transport routes, industrial parks, administrative facilities and links to the Lekki–Epe axis. Building a new state capital, government secretariat, assembly complex, judicial infrastructure, healthcare system and road network would require enormous capital expenditure.
If the industrial and logistics revenue that could support those projects is excluded from the state, the cost becomes more difficult to absorb.
The third issue is population and administrative capacity. A smaller population may still meet the political requirements for state creation, but the size and quality of the tax base matter more than population figures alone. A viable state needs businesses, professionals, civil servants, healthcare workers, teachers, investors and institutions capable of supporting its administration.
An Ijebu State without Remo may therefore enjoy greater cultural uniformity and perhaps less political disagreement over traditional identity. Economically and administratively, however, it would begin with thinner muscles.
Remo Without Ijebu: Industrial Strength Without a Deep Hinterland
The reverse calculation produces a similar conclusion. A Remo-centred state may inherit industries, expressway access and a strategic logistics corridor, but it would lose the commercial depth of Ijebu-Ode, the agricultural resources of Ijebu North and Ijebu East, the coastal potential of Ogun Waterside and the broader population that gives Ogun East its market size.
Industries do not survive on location alone. They need workers, consumers, suppliers, transport systems and access to raw materials. The farms and trading networks across Ijebuland provide both market and production support to the industrial economy of Remo.
The relationship is therefore mutually reinforcing. Remo’s industries benefit from Ijebu’s population, agriculture and commercial networks, while Ijebu benefits from Remo’s industrial revenue, infrastructure and access to major national transport corridors.
There is also a question of political influence and cultural depth.
Remo has a proud identity and a strong history of its own. Yet when combined with the wider Ijebu region, the proposed state carries greater demographic weight, stronger bargaining power and a cultural story that stretches across traditional institutions, commerce, agriculture, industry and coastal development.
A Remo-only state may appear economically promising on paper, but it would be narrower in population, geography and cultural reach. Its industries would remain strong, but the deeper market and agricultural hinterland required for long-term expansion would sit outside its boundaries.
The Stronger Equation: Ijebu and Remo Together
The most persuasive case for state creation therefore lies not in choosing between Ijebu and Remo, but in recognising how much each region contributes to the other.
Ijebu needs Remo for industrial revenue, logistics, expressway access and a faster economic take-off. Remo needs Ijebu for market size, agricultural production, population, coastal opportunities and cultural depth.
Together, they create a state with a more balanced economic structure. The proposed state would not depend on a single sector. It could combine trade in Ijebu-Ode, manufacturing and logistics in Sagamu, agriculture in Ijebu North and Ijebu East, tourism and hospitality across the region, property development along emerging corridors, and maritime or agro-industrial opportunities around Ogun Waterside.
This is the type of economic diversity required to survive the difficulties that often follow the creation of a new administrative unit.
The argument for unity is therefore not merely sentimental. It is practical.
The question should not be whether one part of the region is historically more deserving than another. The real question is what territorial arrangement gives the proposed state the strongest chance of paying salaries, building roads, funding hospitals, supporting schools and creating opportunities without imposing excessive taxation on citizens.
The Feasibility Tests the Proposal Must Pass
Every campaign for state creation is naturally driven by emotion, identity and political aspiration. Yet these factors must eventually be translated into numbers. A new state should not be created simply because its people possess a strong cultural history. It must also demonstrate that it can function.
The first requirement is a credible revenue plan.
Supporters of the proposal should publish realistic projections for internally generated revenue during the first three to five years. Those projections should identify the contribution expected from manufacturing, trade, agriculture, property, tourism, transport and other major sectors.
The calculations must be conservative rather than promotional. It is easy to produce optimistic figures during a political campaign. It is far more difficult to collect that revenue after the state has been created.
The revenue system should also be digital, transparent and designed to reduce leakage. The aim should not be to place new taxes on every small trader and artisan, but to expand the formal economy, improve property administration, support business growth and ensure that existing revenue is properly collected.
The second requirement is a detailed transition and asset-sharing plan.
A new state will inherit both opportunities and obligations. Ogun State currently owns institutions, roads, hospitals, schools, offices, investments and debts across the proposed territory. Determining which assets and liabilities belong to the new state will require negotiation.
Those discussions should take place before the process reaches its final stage. A clear memorandum covering debt, assets, workers, pensions, institutions and ongoing projects would reduce the possibility of prolonged conflict after creation.
The cost of establishing a new capital must also be carefully managed. There will be pressure to construct a government house, assembly complex, secretariat, judiciary headquarters and other prestigious facilities immediately. That approach can drain public finances before the new state begins delivering basic services.
A phased development plan would be more responsible. Existing public buildings can serve temporary administrative purposes while permanent institutions are developed through a combination of public-private partnerships, bonds and long-term infrastructure funding.
The third requirement is connectivity. No local government should feel isolated from the capital. Roads linking Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu, Ikenne, Ijebu North, Ijebu East, Remo North, Odogbolu, Ijebu North East and Ogun Waterside must be treated as economic infrastructure, not political compensation.
The state should also take advantage of its proximity to Lagos, the Lekki–Epe corridor, the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway and neighbouring regions. A credible transport plan should include logistics centres, upgraded roads, improved public transportation and long-term rail integration.
Power and digital infrastructure will be equally important. Manufacturing, agriculture, tourism and technology cannot grow where businesses depend entirely on generators and unreliable connectivity. A viable state should pursue independent power projects, embedded generation, renewable energy and a fibre backbone that supports businesses, schools and government services.
Healthcare and education must also be included in the viability calculation. A state cannot be judged successful because it has constructed a beautiful government house while hospitals remain underfunded and schools lack teachers.
Avoiding the Side Effects of State Creation
The creation of a state inevitably produces political and social consequences. One possible challenge is identity politics. Some people may fear that including Remo within an Ijebu State would weaken Remo’s identity, while others may worry that excluding it would create unnecessary separation within Ogun East.
The solution is not to deny those concerns but to address them through constitutional safeguards, balanced appointments, fair distribution of institutions and strong local government autonomy.
Another challenge is the struggle over the location of the capital. Such disagreements have weakened state creation campaigns in other parts of Nigeria. Stakeholders must therefore avoid reducing the entire movement to a contest between towns.
The capital should be chosen through an objective assessment of accessibility, land availability, infrastructure, cost and regional balance. Major institutions can also be distributed across the state rather than concentrated in one location. The capital does not need to contain every university, hospital, ministry, agency and industrial project.
Fiscal dependence represents another risk. Most Nigerian states rely heavily on federal allocation, and a newly created state may require several years to build its revenue base. This reality should be acknowledged from the beginning.
Borrowing should be controlled, recurrent expenditure should be limited and public appointments should not become a reward system for political supporters. A new state that begins with an oversized cabinet, unnecessary agencies and an unsustainable wage bill will quickly reproduce the problems it was created to solve.
The campaign must also resist the temptation to present state creation as an automatic solution to underdevelopment. New boundaries do not guarantee good governance. A state can be smaller and still be poorly managed. It can possess natural resources and remain financially weak. It can inherit industries and still fail to create employment.
What makes state creation meaningful is not the map itself, but the quality of the institutions built within it.
Unity of Purpose, Not Division of Land
Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola is correct that the campaign for Ijebu State can be understood as democracy in action rather than an attempt to divide people. The demand aligns with the broader argument that government should be closer to citizens and that Nigeria’s federal structure requires continuous review.
But the campaign will be stronger when its emotional appeal is matched by a transparent feasibility plan. The arithmetic points toward cooperation.
Ijebu brings history, commerce, agriculture, population, coastal opportunities and cultural influence. Remo brings manufacturing, logistics, infrastructure, investment and access to one of Nigeria’s most strategic economic corridors. Together, they create a more viable proposition than either could create alone.
This does not mean every disagreement will disappear. Questions of identity, capital location, representation and resource distribution will still require difficult negotiations. But those negotiations should take place within a shared understanding that the purpose of state creation is not to satisfy political pride. It is to improve the lives of the people.
No citizen should suffer delayed salaries, collapsing hospitals, inadequate schools or punitive taxation because a new state was created without proper planning. The cost of political ambition should not be transferred to workers, traders, students and families who expect better governance from the new arrangement.
The path forward must therefore combine cultural conviction with fiscal discipline. It must involve traditional rulers, elected representatives, business leaders, professionals, young people, women, farmers and communities across both Ijebu and Remo.
The strongest message the region can send to the rest of Nigeria is not simply that it deserves a state. It is that it has developed a credible plan for building one.
A united Ijebu–Remo territory offers cultural depth, industrial strength, agricultural capacity, strategic infrastructure and a sufficiently broad population and market to begin life with confidence.
That is not division, it is the multiplication of opportunity. State creation is a matter of law. State sustainability is a matter of arithmetic. For the campaign to succeed without placing unnecessary burdens on ordinary people, the law and the arithmetic must agree.
