By;
Media Department of Ijebu Lokan Fun Ìtẹ̀síwájú Ìjẹ̀bú Movement
In recent days, a number of narratives have surfaced attempting to distort the history, identity, and legitimacy of the long-standing agitation for Ijebu State. Some actors mostly political circles aligned with the recent “Ijebu-Remo” or “Remo State” proposal have sought to present themselves as stakeholders or representatives of a movement they were never part of.
Let it be stated without ambiguity: Those promoting the Ijebu-Remo agenda are not stakeholders of the Ijebu State agitation.
Their proposal is new, politically motivated, and fundamentally disconnected from the decades of documented struggle led by Ijebu traditional rulers, scholars, community groups and statesmen. Ijebu State is not a recent wish it is a 50-year public demand anchored in justice, history and identity.
THE GOVERNOR’S POSITION: FACT, NOT SPECULATION
Attempts to draw the Ogun State Governor, His Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun CON, into this recently manufactured confusion are unnecessary and misleading. The Governor’s position has been publicly and clearly stated in multiple forums:
He recognizes only the agitation for Ijebu State.
He does not endorse the new Ijebu-Remo agenda championed by the OGD political structure.
He stands on documented history not political improvisation.
Therefore, the suggestion that the Governor must now publicly clarify his stance is a smokescreen created by those seeking to impose a new narrative on a 60-year struggle.
THE REAL OBSTACLE IS NOT SILENCE IT IS REBRANDING
For decades, there was no disagreement, no division, and no alternative proposal. The entire conversation was anchored on:
• The historical Ijebu Province of 1923
• The documented Senate and House submissions
• The cultural and geopolitical identity of Ijebu people
• The consensus of traditional institutionsIt is only now when the National Assembly has made it clear that only one South-West state may be approved that we are witnessing attempts to rename, remodel, and recast the agitation for convenience.
A struggle that has taken nearly a century cannot be rebranded because a few individuals seek relevance or bargaining advantage.
HISTORY IS NOT CONFUSION IT IS CLEAR
The facts remain:
• The Ijebu Province is the last of the original 22 colonial provinces yet to become a state.
• The capital has always been Ijebu-Ode.
• The name Ijebu State is not negotiable, debatable, or subject to substitution.
No political calculation, sentiment, or alliance can erase that truth.
UNITY MUST FOLLOW HISTORY, NOT INVENT IT
If unity is required as some now preach then it must be unity around what exists, not unity around what was recently invented.
We welcome all sons and daughters of the old Ijebu Province including Remo people if they wish to align with the ancestral mandate. But we reject any attempt to distort or overwrite the identity of the agitation.
To be clear:
We are fighting for Ijebu State, not Ijebu-Remo State. We are defending history, not negotiating it.
WHERE DO WE STAND?
• We stand with history
• We stand with equity
• We stand with our forebears
• We stand with the Awujale and council of Obas
• We stand with the people
And we stand with confidence that the National Assembly will honor what has stood the test of time not what appeared yesterday.
CONCLUSION
The agitation for Ijebu State predates political parties, governors, and shifting alliances. It is a generational mandate, a cultural identity, and a constitutional right long overdue. The people have waited since 1923. What we seek today is not negotiation it is recognition.
Ijebu State is not an idea. It is our inheritance.
It is our right. And it is non-negotiable.
Media & Research Unit
Ijebu Lokan fun ITESIWAJU IJEBU Movement
“Fun ITESIWAJU IJEBU… Alajọbí, A Gbè Dèdè Ẹni!”
Central Working Committee Secretariat, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State
+234 805 766 0300
info@itesiwajuijebu.org.ng
www.itesiwajuijebu.org.ng
