From Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, Fashogbo said apart from being the ancestral home of Yorubaland, Ile-Ife's socio-cultural importance to the South-West cannot be over emphasized, "just as Sokoto is to the Moslem-dominated Northern Nigeria, Benin to the people of Edo-Delta axis, Enugu to the Igbos of the South-East and Calabar to the people of Cross-Rivers and Akwa Ibom.

"Of these cities mentioned, only Ife has been submerged in the process of state creation dating back to 1967. The importance of these cities as cultural and historical centres was under-scored initially with the establishment of citadels of higher learning, either as colleges of education or universities.

"With the creation of states, these cities either became state capitals or had their names adopted as names of states. For instance, Sokoto became the capital of Sokoto State, Benin became a capital city, Oyo was adopted as a state name. Ife surprisingly has been short-changed in this arrangement. The cradle of Yoruba civilisation, one of the three major tribes in the republic, is neither a state capital nor has its name treated to any form of immortalisation as a name of a state."

According to the delegate, but for the charisma of the Ooni and his penchant for reaching out to people and leaders outside his domain, Ife would have remained relatively unknown.

The lawmaker blamed the past administrations for ignoring similar agitations in the past for the creation of Oduduwa State, noting that the development had wreaked its havoc on the present day Osun and Oyo states.

"Part of the price paid are the squabbles, albeit very bitter and enmity between the monarchs and traditional chieftains who, ordinarily, had been pillars of socio-political stability in the polity."

Besides the need to right the old wrongs, the lawmaker expressed belief that such an exercise would bring development closer to the people, citing the example of Bayelsa State, which he said was a swampy back water of Rivers State, but which had now become developed and urbanised due to state creation.

"In initiating this movement for the creation of Oduduwa State, we are not unmindful of the economically crucial viability factor, which must be accorded paramount consideration. Let it be known that the agro-product cocoa, which fostered multi-sectoral and infrastructural development of Nigeria's Western region and funded free education, came mostly from Ile-Ife and its environs."

Politically, he said, it would put the Ife-Modakeke problem permanently to rest, because Ile-Ife would become a state capital territory belonging to the state government, adding, "local councils could now be created and named by the government without the sentiment attaching to Ife."