Hamzat Urges South-West Governors: Unite for Development, No Constitution Change Needed

Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, has called for increased collaboration among governors in the South-West region to foster deeper regional integration and align their development strategies. He emphasized that the zone does not require constitutional amendments to achieve economic prosperity and regain its past developmental milestones. Hamzat shared these views during a centennial birthday lecture organised in honour of the revered Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti.

The Deputy Governor asserted that greater progress could be made in the South-West through concerted efforts by its state governments, including the creation of interconnected infrastructure systems across the entire region. He highlighted this vision during a video shared by Yoruba Times on X on Friday.

“I’m going to talk to you about how we can come together as a Yoruba people, as a Yoruba to develop together. So that we build rail from Lagos to Ekiti. So if I want to live in Ekiti, I can want to have a farm in Ekiti and I don’t want to sleep in Ekiti. I can take a train and get back to Lagos,” Hamzat explained, illustrating the potential benefits of such connectivity.

Dr. Hamzat further stressed that effective regional development necessitates harmonized planning and budgeting across the South-West states. He added, “But you cannot plan development without budget. Therefore, any committee of commissioners for budget and planning in Southwest, they must help us to plan these things.”

He also pointed out that existing regional bodies could be effectively utilized to drive both integration and development initiatives. “Fortunately, our president has done well. We have the South West Development Commission, we have DAWN. DAWN is doing extremely well,” he noted, commending the work of these institutions.

Agriculture was identified by Hamzat as a key sector where states could complement each other. He suggested that Lagos, with its advanced processing capabilities, could leverage its infrastructure while other states possessing more fertile land could supply agricultural produce.

“Lagos cannot produce enough rice, for example, that we need. But we have the largest rice mill in the country. So Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo can supply the rice because the land is there. So that’s the way to do it,” the Lagos deputy governor elaborated on this symbiotic relationship.

The deputy governor advocated for the further incorporation of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) into the developmental blueprints of the South-West governors. “So for us in Southwest, we are lucky. Like I said, I think DAWN is here and they are doing a lot of good work. So we just need to make sure that we incorporate them more into the delivery of governors in Southwest,” he stated.

Hamzat firmly maintained that such collaborative efforts do not require any changes to the constitution. “That one doesn’t require any constitution, whatever. No, no, no. It’s just governors and their team sitting together with DAWN to say, how do we link Southwest together? So that if I want to do anything in Ondo, I don’t even need to know the governor. The system should be there for me to just operate as a Southwestern,” he clarified.

He concluded by stating that enhanced regional integration would help actualize the dreams and aspirations of past leaders in the area. “And I think that’s the only way I think that we can achieve the aims of our grandfathers, our fathers, what they plan. Because I don’t have any fear if we do that, we will project Southwest higher. After all, they’ve done it before. Southwest had television before Belgium,” Hamzat remarked.

The lecture, which took place on August 28, served as a platform for South-West leaders and various stakeholders to engage in discussions concerning Yoruba unity and the region's development trajectory.