Ofun Osa: An Ifa Reading of Western Nigeria’s Political Economy

I see Ofun Osa as the birth odu of the former Western Region, created in 1951. In this reading, the region combined free education, healthcare, scholarships, wage policies, private enterprise and strong state participation in the economy. This blend made the Action Group-led Western Region difficult to place within Cold War labels. Soviet observers could see welfare policies and state-led development, while Western observers could see entrepreneurship, open markets and wealthy private citizens. The region drew ideas and educational opportunities from Britain, the United States and the USSR without fully submitting to either ideological camp. My family history is part of this account. My late grandfather, Chief Josiah Oladiran Lawanson, was a founding organising secretary of the Action Group and was persuaded by Yoruba traditional rulers to work full-time with Egbe Omo Oduduwa. I understand the lesson of Ofun Osa to be pragmatic: seek knowledge and policies that work, rather than being bound by ideology. In this interpretation, the odu is associated with Obatala and Iya mi Eleye.

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