Oyo Empire Oyo Empire The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire of what is today Western and North central Nigeria. Established in the 15th century, the Oyo Empire grew to become one of the largest West African states. It rose through the outstanding organizational and administrative skills of the Yoruba people, wealth gained from trade and its powerful cavalry. The Oyo Empire was the most politically important state in the region from the mid-17th to the late 18th century, holding sway not only over most of the other kingdoms in Yorubaland, but also over nearby African states, notably the Fon Kingdom of
Yoruba people century. It is due to the influence of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first Anglican bishop in Nigeria. Crowther was himself an Oyo Yoruba and compiled the first Yoruba dictionary as well as introducing a standard for Yoruba orthography. The alternative name "Akú", apparently an exonym derived from the first words of Yoruba greetings (such as "Ẹ kú àárọ?" "good morning", "Ẹ kú alẹ?" "good evening") has survived in certain parts of their diaspora as a self-descriptive, especially in Sierra Leone. The Yoruba culture was originally an oral tradition, and the majority of Yoruba people are native speakers of the