History of Nigeria city-states. A state council (the "Oyo Mesi") named the "Alaafin" (king) and acted as a check on his authority. Their capital city was situated about 100 km north of present-day Oyo. Unlike the forest-bound Yoruba kingdoms, Oyo was in the savanna and drew its military strength from its cavalry forces, which established hegemony over the adjacent Nupe and the Borgu kingdoms and thereby developed trade routes farther to the north. The Benin Empire (1440–1897; called "Bini" by locals) was a pre-colonial African state in what is now modern Nigeria. It should not be confused with the modern-day country called Benin,
The News Journal (Nigeria) The News Journal (Nigeria) The News Journal is a community development newspaper serving the area that used to be known as Western State, Nigeria now comprising the main Yoruba states of Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Ekiti. It is headquartered in the South East division of Ibadan and is owned by Layipo Concepts. Its stated aim is "to publish news of developmental value to the Nigerian audience and other audiences who shall need high quality and unbiased information / news reports on and about Nigeria." "The News Journal" covers Western Nigeria most in-depth, but also offers limited coverage of