Some politicians in Lagos on Sunday expressed divergent views on plan by governors in the South-West geopolitical zone to establish an integration commission to foster socio-economic development.
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), some said that the integration would foster socio-economic development of the zone, while other said it had sinister motive.
Governors of Osun, Lagos, Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti had on July 24, restated their commitments to regional integration for all round development of the zone.
Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo said, on behalf of the governors in Ibadan, that the regional integration was premised on social services, commerce, health, agriculture, infrastructure development and security.
Bishop Gabriel Omoruyi, a former spokesman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Lagos, said that the plan was the best for the region.
“If it finally kicks off, the integration will help to ensure that the region has a working pattern, especially in the area of education,” he said.
Also, Chief Ajibade Emi-Abatta, a former Lagos Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), advised the governors to ensure that the project did not send wrong signal to Nigerians.
He said that the project should be carried out with caution so that other parts of the country would not see it as “a ploy by Yoruba nation to break away”.
In his comment, Mr Sunny Moniedafe, a former FCT Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), urged Nigerians to be excited and strive to embrace the initiative of the governors.
“This is an eye-opener for governors of other regions.
“Through this initiative, development will now move to other zones of Nigeria because other governors will want to be seen as performing governors,” he said.
But, Chief Olatunji Shelle, the Chairman, Lagos Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed contrary view about the initiative.
He said the integration plan was part of the 2015 elections agenda to deceive people of the South-West.
“I only hope they mean well; these governors cannot be trusted; there must be a sinister motive behind it,” Shelle said.
