Southwest Public hearing: Jimoh Ibrahim makes strong case for Coastal State.
By Steve Ovirih.
The Senator representing Ondo South in the 10th Senate, Distinguished Senator Jimoh Ibrahim,CFR, has given reasons why the creation of Coastal state is viable. The Chairman of the Interpaliamentry Committee of The Senate gave this indication at the Constitutional Amendment Public Hearing held in Lagos on Friday, 4th July.
At the Public Hearing which was chaired by Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, which has dignitaries and prominent Yoruba monarchs in attendance, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, while making his presentation for the need to amend the constitution for the creation of Coastal State, said the new state will serve the needs of two million Nigerians from Ondo South.
According to Senator Jimoh Ibrahim , based on verified data analytics, Ondo South accounts for over 60 percent of Ondo State revenue even as the Southern senatorial district supplies not less than 11 percent of Federal Government’s oil revenue, adding that his district has $48 billion worth of Bitumen, the second largest in the world which The Senate recently legislated on.
Senator Ibrahim maintained that Coastal State is poised to evolve as a major economic player as it has all the necessary variables to be financially independent while contributing as a federating unit to the collective economic growth of Nigeria.
He made it clear that the bill for the creation of Coastal state which will be carved out of Ondo State already has the signature support of 64 Senators who have signed on to a Memorandum of Support for the state creation, stressing that this is a huge support base among his Senator colleagues even as the bill has enjoyed the support of two Senators from Ogun State who have the conviction that the creation of Coastal state is possible and of significant economic benefit
“Coastal State on its creation will be self-reliant and will leverage its abundant natural resources to drive growth and economic development. The Coastal State has $42 billion worth of Bitumen under its soil and that is the second largest in the world.
” Coastal State when created will have its capital located in Okitipupa and will include Okitipupa, Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Irele and Odigbo, ” enthused Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.
He added that when the new state is created, adjustments are expected to be made to the boundaries between Ogun and Edo State.