Osun Grove needs a facelift

 From February 2 - 6, 2026, I was on an official visit to Osogbo. It was the longest I had stayed since I started visiting the Osun State capital. After a hectic work schedule, I decided to take a break to visit the Osun grove, one of the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Nigeria. It was an epochal visit.  But before I share what I saw, let me give you a short historical background of Osun, the State of the Living Spring.

Osun is one of the six states in the South-West geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Information gleaned from the official website of the state says that it is bounded to the east by Ekiti and Ondo states, to the north by Kwara State, to the south by Ogun State and to the west by Oyo State. Named after the River Osun—a vital river which flows through the state—the state was formed from the south-east of Oyo State on August 27, 1991, and has its capital in the city of Osogbo. River Osun is symbolic because it serves both spiritual and tourist purposes in the state. The river is worshipped annually by devotees. It is also a tourist spot as people from different parts of the country visit the Osun Grove in Osogbo. The river also provides water for irrigation for the agriculturally rich state.

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. Osun-Osogbo Grove, the shrine of the annual rites of the deity and an important artistic centre, was declared a World Heritage Site in 2005.

Yoruba tradition has it that Ile-Ife in the Osun State is where Olodumare started the creation of the world. It represents the beginning of life, the birthplace of civilisation, the embodiment of all that we see or feel. Osun is the ancestral home of the Yoruba race, whether at home or abroad. It is the central and most important location of this morally rich, culturally sound and highly sophisticated race in the world. It represents the spiritual, the physical and the technological.

Apart from Osun Grove, other tourist sites in the state include the stunning Erin-Ijesha (Olumirin) Waterfalls, the historic Ooni’s Palace and National Museum in Ile-Ife, the powerful Moremi Statue of Liberty, and vibrant art centres like the Nike Art Centre. Other highlights are the Kiriji War Memorial, Oranmiyan Staff, and various shrines and natural springs.

In terms of the governance system, Osun State officially has 30 Local Government Areas, but the state government also created additional Local Council Development Areas and Area Offices, bringing the total administrative divisions to around 69. Osun State has nine members in the Nigerian House of Representatives, alongside its three Senators. The State House of Assembly has 26 seats. The State governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, is popularly known as the “dancing governor”.

There is a great spirituality about Osun State, both in terms of traditional, Christian and Islamic faiths. It’s a blend of interfaith in most families. The state has produced world-class clerics, such as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye; the General Overseer of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor W.F Kumuyi; the founder of Christ Apostolic Church, Prophet Ayo Babalola; the founder of Cherubim and Seraphim Church Worldwide, Prophet Moses Orimolade; the founder and Senior Pastor of the Kingsway International Christian Centre,  London, Pastor Matthew Asimolowo and a host of other anointed men of God.

Thespians such as Prince Oyin Adejobi of the Kootu Asipa fame, ace comedian and actor, Moses Adejumo (Baba Sala), Ayox Arisekola, Chief Duro Ladipo, Alhaji Kareem Adepoju (Baba Wande), and many others, too numerous to mention, are Osun State indigenes. Music sensation Davido, Juju maestros Segun Adewale and Gentleman Dele Taiwo, Adamo Ijesa exponent, Adedara Arounralojaba are some of the great musicians from Osun State.

The only female speaker of the House of Representatives thus far, Rt. Hon. Patricia Olubunmi Ette, Captain of Super Falcons, Rasheedat Ajibade and newly appointed chairperson of the Federal Character Commission and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. (Mrs.) Ayo Omidiran are some of the amazons from Osun State.

So, when I visited Osun Grove last Wednesday, I had mixed feelings. Being my first time, I was quite expectant.  According to the UNESCO website, the dense forest of the Osun Sacred Grove is one of the last remnants of primary high forest in southern Nigeria. Through the forest meanders the river Osun, the spiritual abode of the river goddess Osun. Set within the forest sanctuary are forty shrines, sculptures and artworks erected in honour of Osun and other Yoruba deities, two palaces, five sacred places and nine worship points strung along the riverbanks with designated priests and priestesses.

The Grove is an active religious site where daily, weekly and monthly worship takes place. In addition, an annual processional festival to re-establish the mystic bonds between the goddess and the people of the town occurs every year over twelve days in July and August and thus sustains the living cultural traditions of the Yoruba people. The grove is also a natural herbal pharmacy containing over 400 species of plants, some endemic, of which more than 200 species are known for their medicinal uses.

My colleague and I paid the N1,000 entry fees and an additional N1,500 to use our phones for pictures and videos.

I was ecstatic seeing the sculptures that dotted the landscape. A parliament (troop) of monkeys were seen all around the grove. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a tour guide, but we met a team of tourists there and eavesdropped on what their guide was telling them. I climbed the Amititi Bridge in the grove. Took pictures and did a couple of short videos, which I have since shared on my social media handles. It was indeed memorable

Given the historic significance of the grove, I was disappointed with the state of the road leading to the site. It’s in a deplorable condition and needs to be properly asphalted and maintained. The Amititi Bridge inside the grove also need to be mended or refurbished. The small gate at the other end of the bridge was locked when we visited, so we couldn’t venture to the other side of the river. I also noticed that the river was brownish in colour and was reliably informed that the water used to be sparkling clean until the activities of artisanal miners in Ilesa and the Ife area polluted the water.

Unfortunately, people drink and use the water from the Osun River to bathe because of the belief in its healing powers. I hope the government can do something about the miners who are allegedly responsible for polluting the sacred river. Aside from the woman selling herbs (agbo) at the gate of the grove, I couldn’t get any souvenir to buy as a keepsake. Well, after we were done with the sightseeing at the grove, my colleague and I also took time to visit the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, which was another historic site.

I.G: @jideojong