Abeokuta, Ogun State, played host to the Conference of Speakers of South-West States as legislators from the region convened to strengthen collaboration, deepen democratic governance, and advance regional development.
The meeting brought together the Speakers of Oyo, Ekiti, Ogun, and Osun States, culminating in a communique outlining key resolutions for the zone.
Presenting the resolution, the Chairman of the South-West Speakers, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye of Ekiti State, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for promoting national unity, while praising Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, for his visionary leadership and ongoing infrastructural projects.
The conference also lauded other Southwest Governors for their role in driving economic growth and progress in the region.
Deliberations during the meeting focused on governance, constitutional reforms, electoral reform, inclusive governance, devolution of powers, State policing, fiscal reforms, citizenship, and strengthening local government administration.
Speakers further called for the review of Harmonized Standing Orders across the region’s legislatures to ensure efficiency and uniformity in legislative processes.
The conference also emphasized security as central to regional stability, commending the operational successes of the South-West Security Network (Amotekun) and proposing the creation of Post-Legislative Scrutiny Units to assess the effectiveness of key laws such as the Anti-Open Grazing and Amotekun laws.
Highlighting youth inclusion and agricultural development, the Speakers urged governments to provide more opportunities for young people in governance and allocate adequate budgets to agriculture to enhance food security and sustainable livelihoods.
The conference concluded with a visit to the Gateway International Airport, Iperu, praising the Ogun State Government for the project’s implementation.
