Osun State

Encyclopedia : O : OS : OSU : Osun State

Location
Ọṣun State State nickname: State of the Living Spring

Statistics
Governor (List)	Ọlagunsoye Oyinlọla (PDP)
Date Created	27 August 1991
Capital	Oṣogbo
Area	9,251 km² Ranked 28th
Population 1991 Census 2005 est.	Ranked 17th 2,203,016 4,137,627
ISO 3166-2	NG-OS

Ọṣun State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria. Its capital is Oṣogbo. The state's current governor is Prince Ọlagunsoye Oyinlọla, who was elected in 2003. Ọṣun State is home to several of Nigeria's most famous landmarks, including the campus of Ọbafẹmi Awolọwọ 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 Òkè-Ìlá Ọràngún, Ìlá Ọràngún, Ẹdẹ, and Ileṣa.

The state's name is derived from the River Ọṣun, a deified natural spring where annual traditional festivities are held. Ọṣun-Oṣogbo Grove, the shrine of the annual rites of the deity and an important artistic center in western Nigeria, was declared a World Heritage Site in 2005.

Every year, adherents and non-adherents of Ọṣun, one of the Oriṣa (the traditional deities of the Yoruba), travel from all over the world to attend the annual Ọṣun festival in August. Visitors include nationals of Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad, Grenada, and other nations in the Americas with a significant Yoruba cultural heritage.

The modern Ọṣun state was created in 1991 from part of Ọyọ State.

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

Ọṣun State's 30 Local Government Areas are listed below with their capital cities in parenthesis:

Atakunmosa East (Iperindo), Atakunmosa West (Osu), Ayedaade (Gbongan), Ayedire (Ile Ogbo), 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 (Iyemogun), 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 (Osogbo).

States of Nigeria
Abia \| Abuja Federal Capital Territory \| Adamawa \| Akwa Ibom \| Anambra \| Bauchi \| Bayelsa \| Benue \| Borno \| Cross River \| Delta \| Ebonyi \| Edo \| Ekiti \| Enugu \| Gombe \| Imo \| Jigawa \| Kaduna \| Kano \| Katsina \| Kebbi \| Kogi \| Kwara \| Lagos \| Nassarawa \| Niger \| Ogun \| Ondo \| Osun \| Oyo \| Plateau \| Rivers \| Sokoto \| Taraba \| Yobe \| Zamfara

External links

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