Oyo State: A Blend of History, Culture, and Progress

Southwest Nigeria’s Oyo State is an inland state. Ibadan, the nation’s capital and now the third-most populated city in Africa, serves as the continent’s capital. Oyo State has borders with Kwara State to the north, Osun State to the east, and Ogun State and the Republic of Benin to the southwest. In 2016, Oyo State is expected to have a population of 7,840,864, making it the fifth most populated state in Nigeria.

Yorubas make up the large majority of the population of Oyo State, and the language is still widely spoken. The current Oyo State, sometimes known as the “Pace Setter State,” is located on land that was formerly governed by a number of different kingdoms and empires.

From around 1300 until 1896, the Oyo state, a strong Yoruba state, controlled over a significant portion of the region. In order to separate itself from the old capital to the north, “Old Oyo” (y-Ilé), the current city of Oyo, which was built in the 1830s, is known as “New y” (y tbà). In the city, the Alaafin of Oyo still plays a ceremonial function.

The institution of Ibadan, which was established in 1948, was the first institution in Nigeria to be located in Oyo State. The western city of Shaki is known as the state’s breadbasket, and agriculture continues to dominate the state’s economy. One of the most significant crops for the economy of Oyo State is tobacco, followed by cassava and cocoa.

Geography

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Oyo State, which is rated 14th in terms of size, has a about 28,454 square kilometer area. Old hard rocks and dome-shaped hills make up the scenery, which rises gradually from 500 meters above sea level in the south to 1,200 meters above sea level in the north. This upland is the source of a number of significant rivers, including the Ogun, Oba, Oyan, Otin, Ofiki, Sasa, Oni, Erinle, and Osun rivers.

The Old Oyo National Park is one of the many natural features found in Oyo State. The rare African wild dog, Lycaon pictus, formerly had a home here, but it’s now believed that this canid is extinct in this area.

Climate

The tropical environment has dry and rainy seasons with comparatively high humidity. The rainy season begins in April and lasts until October, whereas the dry season lasts from November to March. Almost all of the year, the daily average temperature is between 25 °C (77.0 °F) and 35 °C (95.0 °F).

History

It includes Sun State, which was split off in 1991, and was created in 1976 from Western State. Oyo State is homogeneous and mostly populated by the Yoruba ethnic group, who are primarily agricultural yet prefer to live in densely populated metropolitan areas. The Oyos, Oke-Oguns, Ibadans, and Ibarapas, who are all members of the Yoruba family and native to the city in Africa, make up the majority of the indigenous population. Since the time of British colonial authority, Ibadan has served as the Old Western Region’s administrative hub.

Other notable cities and towns in Ọyọ State include Ọyọ, Ogbomọsọ, Ibadan, Isẹyín-Okeogun, Ipapo-Okeogun, Kíṣì-Okeogun, Okeho-Okeogun, Saki-Okeogun, Igbeti-Okeogun, Eruwa-Ibarapa, Iroko, Lanlate, OjeOwode-Okeogun, Sepeteri-Okeogun, Ilora-Oyo, Jobele-Oyo, Awe-Oyo, Ilérò-Okeogun, Okaka-Okeogun, Igbo Ora-Ibarapa, Idere

Records and landmarks

The University of Ibadan, founded in 1948 as a college of the University of London and subsequently transformed into an independent university in 1962, is the first institution in Nigeria to grant degrees. Lead City University in Ibadan, Ajayi Crowther University in Oyo, Koladaisi University, Dominican University in Ibadan, Dominion University, and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Ogbomoso are the other institutions in the state. Oyo State is home to the Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igbo Ora, and Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa.

In the state, there are 1,576 public elementary schools and 324 secondary schools. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (lITA) and University College Hospital, Ibadan, the first teaching hospital in Nigeria, are two more notable institutions in the city. The first skyscraper constructed in Africa was called Cocoa House, and it is situated in Ibadan.

The state is home to the Obafemi Awolowo (previously, Liberty) Stadium, a stadium with a capacity of 35,000, and NTA Ibadan, the first television station in Africa.

Other significant tourist destinations in the state are the Agodi Botanical Garden, Ado-Awaye Suspended Lake, Mapo Hall, University of Ibadan Zoological Garden, Ido Cenotaph, Trans-Wonderland Amusement Park, Old Oyo National Park, Iyamopo and Agbele Hill in Igbeti, Bowers Tower, and the Cultural Centre, Mokola. The state is home to the nation’s first FM radio station and Galaxy Television (Nigeria), the nation’s first commercial television channel.

Government and politics

The Oyo State government, along with the other 35 Nigerian States, is split into three branches under the 1999 constitution of Nigeria in order to align with the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is likewise a three-tiered government: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judiciary. An elected executive governor who rules over the State Executive Council, which is composed of appointed cabinet members, leads the Oyo State government’s executive branch. Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde is the current governor of Oyo State, and Rauf Olaniyan is his deputy. A Speaker of the House of Assembly is chosen to lead the legislative branch. The Hon. Debo Ogundoyin is the current Speaker. The Chief Judge of the Oyo State High Court is in charge of the judiciary. Muktar Abimbola serves as the state’s chief judge at the moment.

Education

Currently, there are 971 private nursery/primary schools, 969 public secondary schools, including 7 schools of science, and 57 private secondary schools in the state. There are also 2,004 public schools. A total of 2,829 students were enrolled at the five government technical institutions in the State, which are located in Oyo, Ogbomoso, Ibadan, Shaki-Okeogun, and Iseyin-Okeogun. Iseyin is home to the permanent orientation camp for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The Ebedi Writers’ Residency is located on a hill near Iseyin’s Barracks neighborhood. Great authors, journalists, and writers from all over the globe have come to this international residency, including Prof. Wole Soyinka, the first African to win the Nobel Prize, Jumoke Verissiomo, Funmi Aluko, Richard Ali, Paul Liam, and others.

A few historically significant secondary schools are St. Anne’s School in Ibadan (1869), Wesley College in Ibadan (1905), Ibadan Grammar School (1913), Government College in Ibadan (1927), St. Theresa’s College in Ibadan (1932), Ibadan Boys’ High School (1938), Olivet Heights in Oyo (1945), Queen’s School in Ibadan (1952), Loyola College in Ibadan (1954), St. Bernadine’s The renowned University of Ibadan, which was founded as an autonomous external institution of the University of London and was formerly known as the University institution, Ibadan, is also located there. It is Africa’s foremost source of knowledge.

In the 2001–2002 academic year, two new technical colleges were founded, one in Iseyin, Iseyin Local Government Area, and the other in Ikija, Oluyole Local Government Area. Oyo State College of Education is a school for teachers. The Polytechnic, Ibadan, which is now known as The Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, has two satellite campuses at Eruwa and Shaki-Okeogun. The Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, is a state-owned university that is jointly controlled by the governments of Oyo and Osun States. The capital of the state is also where the top federal institution, The institution of Ibadan, is situated. Iseyin is home to a private polytechnic, the SAF Polytechnic. The Kings Poly, Shaki-Okeogun is a vocational school located in Saki West Local Government.

The Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan (FEDCOFOR), a division of the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), the Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, the Federal School of Surveying, Oyo, the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), the Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT), and the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) are additional institutions.

In a similar vein, the State is home to 15 nomadic schools. They are Gaa Jooro and Gaa Baale, both in Kisi (Irepo Local Government); Baochilu Government; Arin-Oye, Abiogun, Okaka and Baba-Ode (Itesiwaju Local Government); Iganna (Iwajowa Local Government); Igangan and Ayete (Ibarapa North Local Government); Gaa Kondo and Igbo-Ora, (Ibarapa Central Local Government) and Sepeteri (Saki East Local Government). The State is home to 213 continuing education facilities.

For children with disabilities, there are 15 special primary schools and 8 special secondary school units. In the state public secondary schools, there are 2,789 non-teaching employees in addition to 11,732 teaching personnel.

Adults without access to formal education who are illiterate are served by the Agency for Adult and Non-Formal Education (AANFE). In the 33 Local Government districts of the State, the agency now offers 455 programs, and more than 80,000 post-illiterate people and 200,000 illiterate adults have recently received training.

Notable People

9ice (born Alexander Abolore Adegbola Akande, on 17 January 1980), musician
Wande Abimbola, retired academic, religious leader and politician
Joseph Adebayo Adelakun, evangelist
Lamidi Adedibu, aristocratic power broker
Benjamin Adekunle, general
Akinwumi Adesina, President African Development Bank, AfDB
Lam Adesina, former Governor Oyo State (1999–2003), Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria.
Otunba (Dr) Christopher Alao-Akala, former Governor of Oyo State (2007-2011)]
Senator Abiola Ajimobi, former Governor of Oyo State (2011-2019)
Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, Alaafin of Oyo
Oba Saliu Adetunji, the 41st Olubadan of Ibadan land
Olaniyi Afonja, actor and comedian
Benjamin Akande, academic
Richard Akinjide, lawyer and politician
Oluyombo Awojobi, rural surgeon
Ladoke Akintola, politician, lawyer and orator
Quadri Aruna, table tennis player
Adebayo Johnson Bankole, politician
Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, musician
Abdulfatai Buhari, senator
Samuel Ajayi Crowther, priest and historian[45]
Sunday Akin Dare, journalist and politician
Adebayo Faleti, actor, poet and writer
Toyin Falola, historian and academic
Tade Ipadeola, poet
Samuel Johnson, historian
Senator Rasheed Ladoja, former Governor of Oyo State (2003–2007)
Kase Lukman Lawal, businessman
Abass Akande Obesere, Fuji musician and entertainer
Chief Akinpelu Obisesan, diarist, and founder of Cooperative Bank
Latunde Odeku, medical doctor, teacher and poet
Professor Dibu Ojerinde, former registrar, Joint Matriculation Board of Nigeria
Tunji Olaopa, founder and executive vice chairman, ISGPP
Oba Olasunkanmi Abioye Opeola, Kurunloju I, Oniroko of Iroko
Saheed Osupa, Fuji and Hip-Pop artist
David Oyelowo, actor
Afeez Oyetoro, actor, comedian and Academic
Sade, R&B/Soul artist, born in Oyo State
Senator (Rt. Hon.) Monsurat Sunmonu, first female Speaker OYHA and first female Senator from Oyo state
Ibrahim Taiwo, general and politician
Bode Thomas, politician and Lawyer