Eminent Yoruba patriots converged in Ibadan to advocate returning the country to the regional system of government, as it existed in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The concerned stakeholders met under the auspices of a non-governmental organization, the Yoruba Region Consultative Forum, which is advocating for a regional system within the Nigerian federation.
The meeting, which brought together representatives from different parts of Yoruba land, including Kwara and Kogi states, deliberated on the proposed regional structure, governance, economic development, security, education, and human capital development.
According to the body’s director of publicity, Dr. Abiola Ajibola, in a statement on Saturday, the Ibadan meeting, held at the NUJ Press Center, Iyaganku, Ibadan, was to enable the Yoruba delegation to the Summit held in Abuja last month to report on what transpired. The Abuja Summit was the culmination of visits to all six geo-political zones of the country on the issue of restructuring.
“We started in Ibadan in 2024. Then we went to Kaduna, Enugu, Gombe, Port Harcourt, and Jos. Restructuring was the starting point. We realized that the fulcrum of restructuring is to go regional. At the Ibadan symposium, six regions were recommended. Ditto when we met in Kaduna. But by the time we moved to other geo-political zones, the number kept increasing until we met in Abuja, where 17 regions were eventually recommended based on the demands of the people from various parts of the country.”
According to Ajibola, the Ibadan forum was a follow-up to the Summit of the Concerned Citizens’ Assembly, held earlier in Abuja under the auspices of the Citizens Rebirth and Awareness Initiative (C-RAIN).
In his opening address, the national chairman of C-RAIN and Convener of the Assembly, Deacon Owolabi Oladejo stated that the meeting in Abuja from August 17 to 20, 2026, mandated each proposed federated region to return to its grassroots, consult with the people, and come up with constitutional frameworks on how they want their proposed region to be ran.
“Consent must be the foundation of this restructuring process. Our objective isn’t to dismantle Nigeria but to establish a genuine, negotiated Federation of Nigerian Regions in which autonomous units cooperate freely. There must be no second-class citizens or conquered communities in the restructured Nigeria and the proposed regions,” he emphasized.
Professor Gbade Ojo, who presented the main points of the Yoruba delegation at the Abuja Summit, maintained that the Yoruba Region will be viable. Among the indices upon which he based his optimism were the large population, shared language, educational attainment, vast human capital, and abundant natural resources.
Mr. Olaolu Abogunloko and Comrade Jare Ajayi presented a brief summary of the resolution reached at the Abuja Summit, which recommended a 17-region federal structure for Nigeria to foster citizen-led governance and inclusivity.
Supporting the move, the Chairman of the event, Retired General Kunle Togun, argued that regional autonomy is the only solution to the myriad challenges Nigeria faces. Reflecting on his experience before, during, and after serving as a military officer, Togun lamented that the deprivations that people are experiencing, including economic hardships, will continue unless the country is restructured along regional lines.
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