Oyo, Oyo State


Oyo is a city in Oyo State, Nigeria. It was founded as the capital of the remnant of the historic Oyo empire in the 1830s, and is known to its people as 'New Oyo' to distinguish it from the former capital to the north, 'Old Oyo', which had been deserted as a result of the Yoruba Civil Wars. Its inhabitants are mostly of the Yoruba people, and its ruler is the Alaafin of Oyo.

Education

Oyo is home to five higher education institutions; these are the Federal College of Education, Ajayi Crowther University, Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, , and Atiba University.
It houses numerous public and private secondary schools such as Oke-Olola Community Schools, Olivet Baptist High School, School of Science, Saint Benardine Girls Grammar School, Ladigbolu Grammar School, Oranyan Grammar School, Emmanuel Alayande Model High School, Aatan Baptist Comprehensive High School, Shepherd's Field International College, Golden Valley Academy, Nesto College, SPED International College etc.
There are numerous primary schools both private and public with new crop of alleged "mushroom" private schools.

Commerce

The major markets in the city include the Akesan market, the Ajegunle market, the Owode market, the Saabo market, Oparinde market and the Irepo market.
Oyo houses branches of different banks such as GT Bank, First bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank, Eco Bank, United Bank for Africa etc and some other microfinance banks and cooperatives. It also has grocery stores and supermarkets such as the Ace Supermarket, Joba Pharmacy and Stores, Labake Stores, Jara Supermarket etc. The city is the home of many hangout spots such as the Old Oyo National Park which contains a museum and a few animals. Some hotels in Oyo include Labamba Hotel, Tees resort and bar, Begonia hotel, Adesh Hotel, Gold N Rock Hotel, Galaxy Hotel etc.

Local governance and location

The city has four LGAs viz: Atiba LGA, headquartered at Offa-Meta; Oyo East LGA, headquartered at Kosobo; Oyo West LGA, headquartered at Ojongbodu and Afijio LGA, headquartered at Jobele.
The city is centrally located on the dual carriage A1 expressway from Lagos which links it from Ibadan all the way to Ilorin.

Popular culture

Death and the King's Horseman, a play by the Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, is based on an incident that happened in Oyo in 1946.
The Palace Owner, a praise poem by Basit Ajibade is based on the prowess of Oyo kings.

Notable people