Oyo State, which bears the sobriquet âthe Pace-Setter Stateâ, came into existence consequent upon States creation exercise embarked upon since Nigeriaâs independence in 1960.
Going down memory lane, Western Region was the one of three Regions created by Macpherson Constitution of 1954 which introduced a high level of autonomy for the regions. Western region which was led by the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo as the first Head of Government and later Premier became self-governing in 1957 as a prelude to political independence of the country in 1960.
In 1963, the Mid-Western Region consisting of the present Edo and Delta States was excised from the region. Also in the 1967 State creation exercise, Western Region was renamed Western State. Furthermore, during the 1967 States creation exercise, both Ondo and Ogun States were carved from the Western State and what remained of the State was named OYO STATE.
In another nationwide State creation in 1991, Osun State was carved out of the old Oyo state. Ibadan, reputed to be the largest indigenous city in Africa, South of Sahara, has been the capital and Centre of Administration since then. Oyo State, popularly referred to as the âPace Setterâ is one of the constituent 36 States of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.