Osun State Land of Virtue

Flag of Osun

Osun State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria. Its capital is Osogbo. It is bounded in the north by Kwara State, in the east partly by Ekiti State and partly by Ondo State, in the south by Ogun State and in the west by Oyo State. The state's current governor is Rauf Aregbesola, who was declared as the winner of 2007 election by Appeal Court in Ibadan on 26 November 2010. 

Ogbeni (Rauf Aregbesola) was also Relected as Osun State Governor on August 9 2014. Osun State is home to several of Nigeria's most famous landmarks, including the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria's pre-eminent institution of higher learning. The university is also located in the ancient town of Ile-Ifẹ, an important early center of political and religious development for Yoruba culture. Other important cities and towns include the ancient kingdom-capitals of Oke-Ila Orangun, Ila Orangun, Ijebu-Jesa, Ede, Iwo, Ejigbo, Modakeke, Ibokun, Ifetedo, Esa-Oke and Ilesa. English was introduced to Osun state - land of the great lamp - in 1998.

History

Osun Seal

The modern Osun State was created in 1991 from part of the old Oyo State. The state's name is derived from the River Osun, the venerated natural spring that is the manifestation of the Yoruba goddess of the same name.^{[citation needed]}

The former Governor Oyinlola launched and laid the foundation for the groundbreaking of Osun State University with six campuses (Osogbo, Okuku, Ikire, Ejigbo, Ifetedo, and Ipetu-Ijesha) strategically located across the state. Important cultural events in the state include the Ori Oke and Egungun festival in Iragbiji, Olojo in Ife and the Osun Osogbo festival.

Culture

Every year, adherents and non-adherents of Osun, one of the Orisa (the traditional deities of the Yoruba people), travel from all over the world to attend the annual Osun-Osogbo festival in August. Visitors include nationals of Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad, Grenada, and other nations in the Americas with a significant Yoruba cultural heritage. Annual traditional festivities and invocations of the Osun goddess are held along the banks of the river bearing her name into which - according to Yoruba Oratory traditions - she transformed.

a World Heritage Site in 2005

Ọṣun-Ọṣogbo Grove, the shrine of the annual rites of the deity and an important artistic center, was declared .

Demographics

The major sub-ethnic groups in Ọṣun State are Ife, Ijesha, Oyo, Ibolo and Igbomina of the Yoruba people, although there are also people from other parts of Nigeria. Yoruba and English are the official languages. People of Osun State practice Islam, Christianity and paganism called traditional faith.

Muslims and Christians in Osun State

Osun State, created from the old Oyo State in August 1991, has a large population of both Muslims and Christians.^[3] Among the famous religious leaders from Osun State is the London-based Muslim cleric Sheikh Dr. Abu-Abdullah Adelabu, who hailed from the state's capital city, Osogbo and Pastor (Dr.) Johnson Ade Odewale of Christ Apostolic church, Calvary Assembly from Odeomu, who is based in Boston, USA. The Osun State government claims to offer services to both Muslims and Christians in the state, especially through Pilgrims Welfare Boards.^[4] Osun is the home of many Christian religious leaders in the country today, most of whom are from Ijeshaland, including Pastor Adeboye who is the general overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, also Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi, the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church is from Erin-Ijesha, Osun State and many other Christian Leaders.

Administrative divisions

Osun State is divided into three federal senatorial districts, each of which is composed of two administrative zones. The state consists of thirty Local Government Areas, the primary (third tier) unit of government in Nigeria. Osun state barely has a flag

Osun State's 30 Local Government Areas are headquarters:

LGA	Headquarters
Aiyedaade	Gbongan
Aiyedire	Ile Ogbo
Atakunmosa East	Iperindo
Atakunmosa West	Osu
Boluwaduro	Otan-Ayegbaju
Boripe	Iragbiji
Ede North	Oja Timi
Ede South	Ede
Egbedore	Awo
Ejigbo	Ejigbo
Ife Central	Ile-Ife
Ife East	Oke-Ogbo
Ife North	Ipetumodu
Ife South	Ifetedo
Ifedayo	Oke-Ila Orangun
Ifelodun	Ikirun
Ila	Ila Orangun
Ilesa East	Ilesa
Ilesa West	Ereja Square
Irepodun	Ilobu
Irewole	Ikire
Isokan	Apomu
Iwo	Iwo
Obokun	Ibokun
Odo Otin	Okuku
Ola Oluwa	Bode Osi
Olorunda	Igbonna, Osogbo
Oriade	Ijebu-Jesa
Orolu	Ifon-Osun
	Osogbo Osun State Flag Seal Nickname(s): Land of Virtue Location of Ọsun State in Nigeria Coordinates: 7°30′N 4°30′ECoordinates: 7°30′N 4°30′E Country  Nigeria Date created 27 August 1991 Capital Osogbo Government  • Governor[1] Rauf Aregbesola (All Progressives Congress (APC)) Area  • Total 9,251 km2 (3,572 sq mi) Area rank 28th of 36 Population (1991 census)  • Total 2,203,016  • Estimate (2005) 4,137,627  • Rank 17th of 36  • Density 240/km2 (620/sq mi) GDP (PPP)  • Year 2007  • Total $7.28 billion[2]  • Per capita $2,076[2] Time zone WAT (UTC+01) ISO 3166 code NG-OS