Tag: Osogbo

You begin to feel the splendour of the Osun State capital, Osogbo, right from the satellite towns. On the median of the express road that leads to the town are neatly arranged and beautiful street lights, which have combined to add colour and beauty to the road. On either side of the express road are beautifully designed houses and offices.
You do not need a soothsayer to confirm to you that Osogbo has benefitted from the cordial relationship between Osun and Lagos states. The ubiquitous exotic vehicles with Lagos registration number surely elicit curiosity. And one out of seven private cars you see in Osogbo is likely to have Lagos registration number.
Explaining the trend, a resident of the state capital, Alade Jacobs, said the presence of private cars with Lagos registration number is largely connected with the influx of people who have seen hitherto absent opportunities in the state capital. “Of recent, people from Lagos are trooping here probably because of the business opportunities and the peaceful atmosphere that pervades the town. Here, crime is not something that you hear often.”
Ever since it took over the reign of power in Osun State a little over three years ago, the present administration has made no pretentions about its determination to turn around the fortunes of the state capital from its agrarian setting and make it stand shoulder to shoulder with other capital cities around the world.
And with sure-footed measures, Osogbo is gradually wearing a look, which many have agreed has fast-forwarded the status of a city, which prior to this time had only been made popular by the Osun Osogbo Festival.
Today, entering Osogbo, you would but appreciate the transformation that it has witnessed in recent times, especially if you have been away from there for sometime. For the first time, Osogbo is looking like a true state capital.
And everywhere you turn, the air of security around you gives an added assurance to both old and new residents, both day and night. The presence of patrolling anti-crime policemen in well-maintained Hilux vans and the Armoured Carrier Personnel (APC), manned by Swift Action Squad (SAS) is a warning sign that there is no room for crime and criminality in the state.
A few years ago, Osogbo, like other towns of similar status, goes to sleep as early as 10pm, leaving night crawlers with no other choice than an early romance with their beds. But all that have today been consigned to the dustbin of history. Even as early as 3am, you are sure of getting commercial motorcles (Okada) to wherever you are going.
Driving in Osogbo from the Iwo Road axis going to Stadium road, you need not go through the town, because you have the newly constructed East bye pass of the Ring road; Capital-Awosuru will also afford road users who want to avoid the Okefia axis to burst out to the Gbongan-Ibadan express way.
Another is that of the newly-constructed Capital – Tinumola estate road that links the newly completed Oroki estate- LAMECO junction road.
Going through the Mainland of Osogbo, you will have the Isalegbemu-balogun Agoro-Oluode terminating at Boorepo Ayetoro axis. You will also avoid the main road and traffic going through Okebaale beside eid praying ground to Oke-abesu road.
On the Ogooluwa axis is that of Omigade area, Guarantee trust side road and FOMWAN- Okoso road.
The list of the newly constructed roads which were left unattended to before the advent of the aregbesola administration have been completed to service people within the capital city.
Like a typical state capital, the atmosphere in Osogbo during the working hours is always busy and serious. But as night approaches, the business and official lifestyle fades, giving way to an atmosphere of robust, but simple energy.
Done with the day’s work, fun seekers quickly pull off the official suit and tie and change into simple night attire before converging on the different clubs that have sprung up in the town. For instance, The ‘Pavilion’ and ‘The Place’, located along Olusegun Obasanjo Way and Dada Estate, have become the hotspots for fun seekers. According to a resident and patron of the clubs, Taju, ‘These two places have become unarguably the biggest spots in Osogbo.”
When our correspondent visited ‘The Pavilion’ at about 8 pm on Sunday, activities at the club were at their peak. At this moment, the barrier of class, sex and age was broken, as guests, young and old, male and female, the rich and the not so rich mixed freely, enjoying the cool night breeze to the fullest.
Unlike other places where social activities and night crawling have become a thing of the past, in Osogbo, whatever time you want to move out, you do not have to entertain fears of being mugged or molested. Little wonder, no time is too late for both male and female to walk on the street.
Wherever you visit in the town, you are sure to be confronted with one construction site or the other, with all the constituencies experiencing one form of developmental project or the other. Added to these are scores of roads that have been completed.
Also, aesthetics have found meaning in Osogbo. Today, you cannot ignore the neatness of the city. The urban renewal programme already put in place by the present administration has really helped in shaping the town.
Schemes such as O’Clean and the beautification scheme of the environment ministry have been responsible for the city’s cleanliness.
A new comer to the Okefia and the old railway station (now Freedom Park) areas of Osogbo will appreciate the turnaround that has taken place in there. Just a little over four years ago, those places were congested, littered with old buildings and shanties, which gave the city an image of ancientness.
Okefia and Freedom Park today wear beautiful and modern looks befitting a state capital. For the first time in the history of the state, lovers of football and the European football leagues can watch the beautiful game live on the two large LED screens installed in the areas.
Popularly called ‘big television’ by local residents, the LED TV screens give the city a beautiful outlook at night. “You can see that the big televisions have given us the opportunity to watch football with our friends in a beautiful atmosphere. The first time that the televisions were put on at night, I almost did not believe that I was still in Osogbo,” a resident told our correspondent.
While the TV screens give the residents a new outlook of modern life, the Freedom Park offers them a new rendezvous that was hitherto unavailable to them. At the end of the day’s work, fun seekers who cannot afford the highbrow clubs in town converge on the park. With neatly arranged chairs and tables and, of course, cool music blaring from music boxes, the people can relate with the experience that has long been denied them.
The giant TV screens at Okefia and the one at Freedom Park are crowd pullers anytime there is a big football match, especially the one involving Nigeria. Whether you are in Osogbo for business or pleasure, the allure of the town will surely make you want to come back.
Speaking on the trend, the Director of Bureau of Communication, Semiu Okanlawon, said: “Massive developments and transformations! That is the only way to capture the the new looks that Osun wears in almost all the facets of its life at the moment.’’
He added: ‘’Miffed by the degree of decay in almost all sectors when it came in, the Aregbesola administration had said there must be renewal of its urban centres in a manner that will be attractive to investors, tourists and others. Cities like Osogbo, Iwo, Ilesa, Ejigbo, Ikire, Ile-Ife, Ila, Ikirun, Ede each in the nine federal constituencies were marked for the demonstration of how modern cities with economic values must look.
“Osun in partnership with UN-Habitat, is implementing structural adjustments and replanning nine cities in the state. The manifestation of the afore-mentioned is conspicuous in the state capital, which hitherto could not live up with the status of a state capital, but with the coming of the present administration, the story is now changing.
“It all started with the beatification exercise in Osogbo with all the roundabouts in the state capital, which was like home to destitute persons, now wearing a different look as you enter Osogbo from all the entry points. The present administration of Aregbesola has completed about 700 kilometres of roads out of about 1000kilometeres of roads it has embarked on.”