Southwest Govs Adopt Single State Anthem, Urge Senate To Quickly Pass SWDC Bill

By Hammed Tajudeen, Osogbo

South West Governors have unanimously officially adopted the “Iṣẹ̀ wà fùń Ilẹ wá” song as the Yoruba anthem.

Blaze Newz gathered that the anthem was introduced by late Obafemi Awolowo during the period when he was the Premier of Southwest in the era of regional government in Nigeria.

Osun State over the past thirteen years has been using this as its state official anthem.

But on Monday during the South West Governors forum’s closed-door meeting held in Lagos it was reported that the anthem was adopted by the six governor’s.

The governors are; Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti).

At the meeting, Sanwo-Olu was also elected as the new chairman of the South West Governors’ forum following the death of the former governor of Ondo state, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, who passed away on December 27, 2023.

The adoption of the new South West single anthem has continued to generate reactions from social media, with some describing it as a historical move.

Reacting to the development, an X user @abdullahayofel wrote, “In a historic move, the six Southwest Governors have unanimously endorsed “Iṣẹ̀ wà fùń Ilẹ wá” as the official anthem of the Southwest region, symbolizing unity and solidarity among the Yoruba people.

“This iconic song will now serve as a rallying cry for the region, celebrating its rich cultural heritage and fostering a sense of shared identity.”

Another user @iambanjymii tweeted, “Great. Now it should be made compulsory in all public and private schools in the Southwest.”

“God bless the Yoruba race!!!” @Hemzick tweeted.

In another vein,one of the South West Goveror, Seyi Makinde on his official Facebook page said during the meeting “The forum further resolved to collaborate more on food security, restated our support for state policing, and commended our regional security outfit, Amotekun.

“We also commended the members of the House of Representatives for the progress made on the South West Development Commission Bill and urged the Senate to swiftly pass the bill.

“In addition, we affirmed our support for ongoing negotiations on minimum wage and emphasised that the resolution should reflect fiscal federalism.

“Other notable decisions reached included a plan to strengthen the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission by appointing someone from each State to work with the commission.”

Makinde further disclosed that the forum condemned illegal actions of groups agitating for a separate Yoruba nation.