A bill to create a new Oyo State and rename the existing Oyo State to Ibadan State has successfully passed its second reading in the House of Representatives.

Sponsored by Akeem Adeyemi, son of the late Alafin Adeyemi, along with six co-sponsors, the bill proposes Oyo town as the capital of the new Oyo State, while Ibadan city will serve as the capital of the newly renamed Ibadan State.

The bill was discussed during a plenary session on Tuesday and involves the division of the current 33 local governments between the two states.

Following its second reading, the bill has been referred to the Constitutional Review Committee for further consideration.

In a related development, another bill aimed at creating Ogoja State from Cross River in Nigeria’s south-south region also passed its second reading last week, as part of ongoing efforts to amend the 1999 Constitution.

Notably, no new states have been created since Nigeria transitioned to democratic governance in 1999.