DO YOU KNOW OYO STATE

FACTS 

Year of Creation

April 1, 1976

Size of State

27,460 sq km

Capital City

 Ibadan

Other Major Town(s)

Ogbomoso, Oyo, lseyin, Egbeda, OgoOluwa, Oluyole, and Surulere

Major Ethnic Group(s)

Yoruba

 Language(s) Spoken

Yoruba

Climate

Tropical climate marked by two distinct seasons; the dry season (November – March) and the wet season (April – October)

State Website

http://www.oyostate.gov.ng/

MUST SEE

Bower’s Tower

Bower’s Tower was erected in honor and memory of Captain R.L. Bower, one of the earliest colonial officers who administered Ibadan metropolis. The monument was erected in December 1936 at Oke-Aare as a result of Bower’s effectively checking the anti-social behaviors such as kidnapping and human sacrifice that plagued the fast growing city of Ibadan. Captain Bower’s rule witnessed the provision of basic and fundamental freedoms. It also ushered in an era of relative peace as well as progress in education.

Ado-Awaye Suspended Lake

Ado-Awaye lies about 20 kilometers west of lseyin. The Suspended Lake is nestled on one of the crest of rocks commonly referred to in surveyors’ terminology as “the sleeping lion.” The rocky outcrop can be climbed to gain a full view of the whole range of hills lying towards the Benin Republic border. People who have succeeded in climbing to a point the locals call “EsekanIku” (translated “on the verge of death”), write their names with pieces of stone on the rock. The climb can conveniently take forty-five minutes for those in good health.

Upper Ogun Game Reserve

Upper Ogun and Old Oyo were separate reserves until 1963 when they were merged and were re-named Upper Ogun Game Reserve. Upper Ogun Game Reserve lies in the North-Western part of the state about 160 kilometers from Ibadan. It has an area of about 2,500 square kilometers and harbors a wide variety of wildlife.  At its northern end are the ruins of Old Oyo, the former capital of the famous Oyo Empire, which was brought down by the Fulani in 1837. The main facility is at Ibuya where tourist chalets are built with catering services and modern conveniences.

Zoological Garden, University of Ibadan

The gardens are located on the campus of University of Ibadan. It is the oldest zoological garden in the country with well over 400 animals of different species.

  
ATTRACTIONS

• Agodi Gardens
• Mapo Hall
• Oke-Ogun National Park
• The Cultural Centre, Mokola

DID YOU KNOW

• Oyo state boasts of having the first TV station in Africa, the first university in Africa and the first national stadium in West Africa.
• lbadan, the state’s capital is the largest indigenous city south of Sahara with a population of over 3 million.
• lbadan is the commercial, industrial and cultural nerve center of Oyo State and it boasts of some modern edifices such as Cocoa House; once the tallest building in Nigeria, Lekan Salami Sports Centre, University of lbadan, the teaching hospital fondly called U.C.H.
• Natural Resources: cocoa, oil palm, coffee