Osun State

Lore & Background

In the pre-colonial period, the area now known as Osun State was divided among various Western Yoruba states, some town-based and others part of larger empires like the Oyo Empire. From 1877 to 1893, Western Yoruba states fought the Kiriji War alongside Eastern Yoruba groups, ending in a British-brokered stalemate. The area was later colonized and incorporated into the British Southern Nigeria Protectorate, which merged into British Nigeria in 1914. After independence in 1960, the area was part of the Western Region until 1967, then the Western State, and from 1976 Oyo State, until Osun State was formed in 1991.

Reader's Guide

Osun State is significant for its cultural and historical heritage, particularly as the home of the Osun-Osogbo Grove, a World Heritage Site declared in 2005, and the annual Osun-Osogbo festival held in August. The state hosts Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ifẹ, one of Nigeria's pre-eminent institutions of higher learning. Economically, it is largely based on agriculture, including cocoa, cassava, and yam, along with services, artisanal mining, and livestock herding. The state's major sub-ethnic groups are Ife, Ijesha, Oyo, Ibolo, and Igbomina, and its population practices Christianity, Islam, and traditional faith. Osun State is also noted for its mineral resources, including gold, granite, and columbite.

Did You Know?

• Osun State was formed from the southeast of Oyo State on 27 August 1991.
• The state is named after the River Osun, which is the manifestation of the Yoruba goddess of the same name.
• Osun State has the second highest literacy rate in Nigeria.
• The Osun-Osogbo Grove was declared a World Heritage Site in 2005.