In its 32nd anniversary, Osun State is being commemorated with the release of a significant book by The Erudio Alphabet Company.
Entitled 'Courage & Character: The Definitive History of Osun State', this 460-page coffee table book presents a comprehensive account of the state's evolution. The narrative traces the journey of the people's struggle for statehood, culminating in the ascent of military president Gen Ibrahim Babangida in 1991.
The book delves into the various administrations, with a focus on leaders like Col Leo Ajiborisha, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, and the military interregnum which saw figures like Colonel Abel Akale, Navy Captain Anthony Udofia, Lt Col Anthony Obi, and Col Theophilus Olufemi Bamigboye.
The book, designated as Volume One of the Osun Trilogy, comprises four parts that together provide a vivid narrative. President Muhammadu Buhari contributes the foreword, while ex-governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola authors the preface.
Among its sections is the story of Abdulsalami Agbaje, an Ibadan high chief recognized as the "unlikely catalyst" behind the creation of the Oshun Division, in response to a collective effort by Ibadan's nobility in the 1940s. The book encompasses the struggle for statehood, the establishment of the state, and the key highlights from each state administrator or governor from 1991 to 2018.
Temitope Lakisokun, CEO of Erudio Alphabet, emphasizes that "the Osun story essentially revolves around a populace's refusal to be subjugated and oppressed; their pursuit of independence and sovereignty, and their battle for survival and significance."
