Osun at 34: The Journey So Far, The Road Ahead By Oluwatosin Babatunde

Osun at 34: The Journey So Far, The Road Ahead
By Oluwatosin Babatunde

As Osun clocks 34, the anniversary offers more than a reason to celebrate. It is an invitation to reflect on the state’s cultural pride, economic struggles, and untapped potential and to ask what kind of future Osun is truly building.

Osun turned 34 today. That’s 34 years since it was carved out of the old Oyo State in 1991. In the life of a state, that’s still relatively young, but it is old enough for us to take stock to ask where we have come from, where we are, and where we are going.

There is much to be proud of. Osun remains one of the cultural heartlands of the Yoruba people. Ile-Ife is still revered as the cradle of the race; Osogbo retains global recognition through the UNESCO-listed Osun Sacred Grove; and our traditional festivals continue to thrive despite the pressures of modernity.

Education tells a mixed story. From primary to tertiary levels, Osun has made deliberate investments in access. Thousands of public schools dot the towns and villages, while at the higher level, institutions such as Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State University (Uniosun), University of Ilesa (Unilesa), Osun State Polytechnic in Iree, and the Colleges of Education in Ilesa and Ila provide opportunities for advanced learning. Yet, quantity has not translated into quality. Dilapidated classrooms, teacher shortages, poor funding, and under-equipped laboratories still undermine learning outcomes. Passionate teachers and resilient students are keeping the system alive, but the larger question remains: how do we transform access into excellence? How do we ensure that a child in Osogbo or Ejigbo receives the same standard of education as one in Lagos or Abuja?

Healthcare paints a similar picture. At the grassroots, hundreds of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) exist across the state, especially in rural communities. Yet, many are under-staffed and poorly equipped. General hospitals in towns such as Ilesa, Iwo, and Ede provide broader services, but are overstretched and struggling with decaying infrastructure and manpower gaps. At the tertiary level, the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital in Ile-Ife and the State University Teaching Hospital in Osogbo remain crucial referral centres, but they too grapple with rising demand, brain drain, and limited modern facilities. For many ordinary citizens, access to affordable and quality healthcare remains a daily challenge.

Economically, Osun still leans heavily on federal allocations. Internally generated revenue remains modest, while debts from the past cast a long shadow. Agriculture and tourism hold enormous promise, but their potential has never been fully unlocked. It is time for both the present government and those that will come after to maximize Osun’s agricultural wealth. And this must move beyond rhetoric and paperwork. It requires real, practical investment that fully incorporates the youth, who make up the majority of the state’s population. Osun needs real agriculture not agriculture on paper. That means commercial farming, agro-processing hubs, and farm-to-market infrastructure that create jobs, strengthen food security, and lay a sustainable economic foundation. Crucially, agriculture must be deliberately linked to industrialization, with agro-allied industries, textiles, and even mining forming the backbone of a modern Osun economy one that generates wealth locally instead of exporting raw materials cheaply.

Yet, amid the challenges, Osun’s greatest asset remains its people. From hardworking farmers in rural communities to entrepreneurs and emerging tech innovators in Osogbo, Osun people are resilient, creative, and industrious. What has been missing is a system that fully harnesses this energy.

So, at 34, perhaps the question is not about fanfare. It is about sober reflection. What kind of Osun do we want at 40, or even at 50? This is not the time for blame games; it is the time for collective responsibility. The answers will depend on the quality of leadership and the vigilance of citizens in holding leaders accountable.

Osun has everything it needs to rise above mediocrity. But potential will not unlock itself.

Oluwatosin Babatunde is a journalist and can be reached via babatosin247@gmail.com