OSOGBO— PRESIDENT of the Ife Development Board, IDB, Mr Gbenga Adefaye, has announced the establishment of the first community website for Ife indigenes and tourists.
Adefaye, who is also the Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, NIJ, said the creation of the digital resource fulfils one of the priorities of his administration of the board.
He said the digital resource shall educate, inform and attract visitors worldwide to Ile-Ife, the ancestral home of the Yoruba.
Operating with the domain name, www.ife-development-board.org, the website features daily updates of massive developmental projects, programmes and activities which cut across cultural, business and educational matters, which are improving the lives of residents.
Bringing the world to the city, a section of the site, titled Explore Ife, provides sharp, real-life pictures of historic and interesting places in the city.
The site, which went live at midnight on July 1, 2026, has been receiving rave reviews for making it easy for visitors to navigate the pages.
Reviewing the site, World Bank Consultant, Dr Akin Awofolaju, said it captures the essential message of the Ife community to the world.
His words: “The new IDB website is a commendable effort and represents a major step forward in projecting a modern digital image for the Ife Development Board. The platform demonstrates a clear intention to position IDB as a forward-looking organisation focused on community development, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement.” The clean design, responsive layout, and modern web architecture indicate that considerable thought and effort have gone into the project.
“The website succeeds in creating a professional first impression, but with several strategic enhancements, it could evolve from a good informational website into an exceptional community engagement and development platform.”
The Chief Executive Officer of CrystalTech Limited, Opeyemi Eludiora, described the expected user experience,
Eludiora said: “Through our social media handles, we would have alert messages diverting people to the website to read up. We also have an event alert. We have a history and projects alert.
“As a user, I will want to see things about Ife before seeing the development and the landing page has shown that. I will want to get familiar with the website.”
The chairman of the IDB Website committee, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan, commended the consultants for a job well done, adding that content management will be driven by messages to cultivate the appropriate target audience.
“They took the brief seriously and turned out a fantastic website that is culturally stimulating and aesthetically captivating,” he said.
