Against the backdrop of the frenetic clamour for restructuring and devolution of powers in the country, SUNDAY ADEPOJU reflects on governance in the South-West geopolitical zone, dating back to the First Republic in the old Western Region.   The period of Nigeria’s First Republic in the old Western Region (the Yoruba land) has been the best of time so far in comparing the strides of the old time and what obtains in the present six states making up the South-West. It witnessed a lot of monumental achievements in diverse spheres of life. The region, covering the present Yoruba land to some part of the far present Edo and Delta states, had its headquarters in Ibadan, the capital of the present Oyo State. No wonder, Ibadan has some strings of ‘firsts.’ Pundits have ascribed the myriads of the strides of the period to regionalism, a system that allowed the three regions – North, East and West – to develop at their own pace in line with the resources available in ...