| Ọyọ State | |
|---|---|
| — State — | |
| Nickname(s): Pace Setter State | |
| Location of Ọyọ State in Nigeria | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Nigeria |
| Date created | 3 February 1976 |
| Government | |
| • Governor[1] | Abiola Ajimobi (ACN) |
| • Senators | |
| • Representatives | List |
| Area | |
| • Total | 28,454 km2 (10,986.2 sq mi) |
| Population (2006)[2] | |
| • Total | 5,591,589 |
| • Estimate (2007) | 6,617,720 |
| • Density | 196.5/km2 (509/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | |
| • Year | 2007 |
| • Total | $16,12 billion[3] |
| • Per capita | $2,666[3] |
| Time zone | WAT (UTC+01) |
| ISO 3166 code | NG-OY |
| Website | oyostate.gov.ng |
Ọyọ State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria, with its capital at Ibadan. It is bounded in the north by Kwara State, in the east by Osun State, in the south by Ogun State and in the west partly by Ogun State and partly by the Republic of Benin.
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Oyo State covers approximately an area of 28,454 square kilometers and is ranked 14th by size. The landscape consists of old hard rocks and dome shaped hills, which rise gently from about 500 meters in the southern part and reaching a height of about 1,219 metre above sea level in the northern part. Some principal rivers such as Ogun river, Oba, Oyan, Otin, Ofiki, Sasa, Oni, Erinle and Osun river take their sources from this highland.
Oyo State contain a number of natural features including the Old Oyo National Park. In this location there was earlier habitat for the endangered African Wild Dog, Lycaon pictus;[4] however, this canid is thought to have been locally extirpated at the present.
The Climate is equatorial, notably with dry and wet seasons with relatively high humidity. The dry season lasts from November to March while the wet season starts from April and ends in October. Average daily temperature ranges between 25 °C (77.0 °F) and 35 °C (95.0 °F), almost throughout the year.
It was formed in 1976 from the former Western State, and originally included Ọsun State, which was split off in 1991. Oyoọ State is homogenous, mainly inhabited by the Yoruba ethnic group who are primarily agrarian but have a predilection for living in high density urban centers. The indigenes mainly comprise the Oyos,the Oke-Oguns, the Ibadans and the Ibarapas, all belonging to the Yoruba family and peo ples of Africa|indigenous]] city in Africa, south of the Sahara. Ibadan had been the centre of administration of the old Western Region, Nigeria since the days of the British colonial rule. Other notable cities and towns in Ọyọ State include Ọyọ, Ogbomọsọ, Isẹyin, kishi, Okeho, Saki, Eruwa, Lanlate, Sepeteri, Ilora, Awe, Ilero, Igbeti, Igboho and Igbo-Ora. The climate in the state favours the cultivation of crops like maize, yam, cassava, millet, rice, plantain, cacao tree, palm tree and cashew. There are a number of government farm settlements in Ipapo, Ilora,Sepeteri, Eruwa, Ogbomosho, Iresaadu, Ijaiye, Akufo and Lalupon. There is abundance of clay, kaolin and aquamarine. There are also vast cattle ranches at Saki, Fasola, Moniya and Ibadan.
The first university in Nigeria is the University of Ibadan (established as a college of the University of London when it was founded in 1948, and later converted into an autonomous university in 1962). It has the distinction of being one of the premier educational institutions in West Africa. The other Universities in the state are: Lead City University, Ibadan, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo and the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso. The Polytechnic, Ibadan is one of the best polytechnics in Nigeria.
There are 324 secondary schools as well as 1,576 public primary schools in the state. Other noteworthy institutions in the city include the University College Hospital; the first teaching hospital in Nigeria and the internationally acclaimed International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (lITA).
Another prominent landmark in Oyo State is the Cocoa House, the first skyscraper built in Africa .
The state is also home to NTA Ibadan, the first television station in Africa and Liberty Stadium the first stadium built in Africa.
Other major tourist attractions located in the state include: Agodi Botanical Garden, Ado-Awaye Suspended lake, Mapo Hall, University of lbadan Zoological Garden, Ido Cenotaph, Trans-Wonderland Amusement Park, Oke-Ogun National Park in, Old Oyo-Ile, Iyamopo and Agbele Hill in Igbeti, Bowers Tower and the Cultural Centre, Mokola.
Under the Nigerian 1999 constitution[5] the government of Oyo State, and those of the other 35 Nigerian States, is divided into three branches to be in line with the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which is also three tier: the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judiciary. The executive branch of Oyo State government is headed by an elected executive governor who presides over the State Executive Council made up of appointed cabinet members. The present governor of Oyo State is Senator Abiola Ajimobi with Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo as deputy governor. The legislative branch is headed by an elected Speaker of the House of Assembly. The current Speaker is Monsurat Sunmonu. And lastly, the judiciary is headed by the Chief Judge of Oyo State High Court. The present and acting Chief Judge of the state is Badejoko Olateju Adeniji who replaced Olagoke Ige.[6]
Presently the State has 1,703 public schools, 971 private nursery/primary schools, 335 public secondary schools including 7 schools of Science and 57 private secondary schools. Also in the State, there are five government technical colleges at Oyo, Ogbomoso, Ibadan, Saki and Igbo-Ora with enrolment of 2,829 students in the 2000/2001 academic session.
Historically prominent secondary schools include Loyola College Ibadan, Government College Ibadan, St Patricks Grammar School Ibadan, St Thersa's College Ibadan and St Annes' School Idadan. It's also home to Africa's leading fountain of knowledge, the iconic University of Ibadan (The University was originally instituted as an independent external college of the University of London, then it was called the University College, Ibadan [7]).
The present administration has established two new technical colleges located at Ado-Awaye, Iseyin Local Government area and Ikija in Oluyole Local Government area which took off in the 2001/2002 academic session. A college of education, Oyo State College of Education, Oyo. There is a Polytechnic, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, with 2 satellite campuses at Eruwa and Saki, and a State-owned University, The Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso which is jointly owned by Oyo and Osun State Governments. The federal premier university The University of Ibadan, is also located in State capital.
There are also the Federal College Education (Special), Oyo, the Federal Schools of Surveying, Oyo; Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Agricultural Institute for Research and Training (AIR&T), the Federal School of Forestry and the Nigeria Institute for Social and Economic Research (NISER), all in Ibadan.
Similarly, there are 15 Nomadic schools in the State. 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). There are 213 continuing education centres spread all over the State.
Also, there are 15 special primary schools and 8 special units in secondary schools catering for handicapped children. There are 11,732 teaching staff in the state public secondary schools and 2,789 non-teaching staff.
There are also the Agency for Adult and Non-formal Education (AANFE) which caters for illiterate adults who had no opportunity of formal education. The Agency has 455 classes in existence in the 33 Local Government areas of the State, while 200,000 illiterate adults and over 80,000 post-illiterate adults have been trained recently.
| Commissioner/Officer | Ministry/Office | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sen. Abiola Ajimobi | Governor | ||
| Hon. Moses Alake Adeyemo | Deputy Governor | ||
| Monsurat Sunmonu | Speaker of the State House of Assembly | ||
| Alhaji Akin Olajide | Secretary to the State Government | ||
| Dr. Deolu Akande | Chief of Staff | ||
| Mr. Bimbo Adekanmbi | Deputy Chief of Staff | ||
| Alhaji Tajudeen O. Aremu | Head of Service | ||
| Mr. Ajiboye Omodewu | Commissioner for Lands and Housing | ||
| Barr. Bayo Ojo | Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice | ||
| Mr. Bimbo Kolade | Commissioner for Agriculture, Natural Resources & Rural Development | ||
| Mr. Zachius Adedeji Adelabu | Commissioner for Finance | ||
| Dr Abdul-Lateef Olopoeniyan | Commissioner for Health | ||
| Mr. Adebayo Olagbenro | Commissioner for Industry, Applied Science & Technology | ||
| Mrs. Tokunbo Fayokun | Commissioner for Education | ||
| Mrs. Tinuke Osunkoya | Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community Development and Social Welfare | ||
| Mr Dapo Lam-Adeshina | Commissioner for Youth & Sports | ||
| Alhaji Yunus Akintunde | Commissioner for Works & Transport | Barr. Kazeem Adeshile Adedeji | Commissioner for Trade, Investments and Cooperatives |
| Hon. Peter O. Odetomi | Commissioner for Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairss | ||
| Barr. Bosun Oladele | Commissioner for Information and Orientation | ||
| Alhaji Wasiu O. Dauda | Commissioner for Environment and Habitat | ||
| Barr. Lowo Obisesan | Commissioner for Establishment and Training |
|Barr. Sunmbo Owolabi |Commissioner for Water Resources| |-
Dr. Olaniyi Larinde | Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budgeting |- |} Ms Kafayat Adeojo | Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development
Agriculture is the main occupation of the people of Oyo State. The climate in the state favours the cultivation of crops like maize, yam, cassava, millet, rice, plantains, cocoa, palm produce, cashew etc. There are a number of government farm settlements in Ipapo, Ilora, Eruwa, Ogbomosho, Iresaadu, Ijaiye, Akufo and Lalupon. There is abundance of clay, kaolin and aquamarine. There are also vast cattle ranches at Saki, Fasola and Ibadan, a dairy farm at Monatan in Ibadan and the state-wide Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme with headquarters at Saki. A number of international and federal agricultural establishment are located in the state.
The state consists of thirty three Local Government Areas: (see also Nigerian LGAs)
Notable people from Oyo State include:
Professor Olusegun Odesina
| Kwara State | ||||
| Benin | Osun State | |||
| Oyo State | ||||
| Ogun State |
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