Geopolitical zone
South West
Yorubaland: old kingdoms, dense cities and the country's largest urban economy.
6 states · Last verified 13 September 2026
The South West covers Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo, and is the heart of Yorubaland, with further Yoruba communities in Kwara, Kogi and across the border in Benin Republic. It is the most urbanised zone in Nigeria, and has been for a long time: Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ile-Ife, Oyo and Ogbomoso were large towns well before the twentieth century.
Yoruba political tradition is monarchical and layered. The Ooni of Ife, the Alaafin of Oyo and dozens of other obas preside over towns with their own chieftaincy structures, and Ile-Ife holds a place in Yoruba thought as the point of creation. The zone produced Nigeria's earliest mass Western education, its first newspapers and much of its modern literature, theatre and popular music.
Lagos anchors the economy — ports, banking, entertainment and a population larger than many African countries — while cocoa, timber and food crops remain important inland.
What defines the zone
- Heartland of the Yoruba people
- Most urbanised zone in Nigeria
- Ancient kingdoms at Ife and Oyo
- Lagos as the national commercial capital
- Centre of Nigerian film, theatre and popular music
States in South West
Peoples of the zone
Languages recorded here
English · Ijaw · Ilaje · Nigerian Pidgin · Yoruba
Food from this zone
- swallow
Amala
A dark brown swallow made by stirring yam flour into boiling water until smooth. The colour comes from the drying and roasting of the yam before it is milled, not from any added ingredient. A pale variant, amala lafun, is made from cassava flour.
- swallow
Amala Isu
The yam version of amala, made from elubo, yam that has been peeled, sliced, dried and milled. It is dark brown and smoother and more elastic than the cassava version, and is what most people mean when they say amala.
- side
Asaro
A soft, thick porridge made from chunks of yam cooked down in a palm oil–based sauce with peppers, onions and seasonings until the yam breaks down slightly and thickens the mixture. It has a warm orange colour and a comforting, mildly spicy taste.
- rice_dish
Ayamase Rice
A plate of rice served with ayamase, a green pepper stew made from unripe bell and chilli peppers bleached in boiled palm oil, loaded with assorted beef, tripe, ponmo and locust beans. The rice itself is plain, usually local ofada rice wrapped and steamed in leaves.
- snack
Ekuru Agoyin
Plain steamed ekuru served with agoyin sauce, a dark, very hot pepper sauce made by frying blended dried peppers, onions and sometimes locust beans in a generous amount of palm oil until almost black.
- street_food
Ewa Agoyin
Soft-cooked, lightly mashed brown beans served with a dark, intensely spicy pepper sauce made from dried peppers fried in a generous amount of palm oil. The beans themselves are mild and creamy, while the accompanying sauce is sharp, smoky and hot.
Festivals in this zone
- Festival
Egungun
varies by town, with each community's traditional council setting its own annual dates · Oyo
- Festival
Eyo Festival
Irregular. It is declared for a specific occasion, usually the final burial rites of a Lagos oba or a senior chief, and announced weeks in advance. · Lagos
- Festival
Lisabi
held annually, usually around September; the exact date is set by the Egba traditional council each year · Ogun
- Festival
Ogun Festival
observed annually by individual towns, each setting its own date through local tradition; Ire-Ekiti and Ondo hold their own separate Ogun festivals rather than a single shared date · Ondo
- Festival
Ojude Oba
the third day after the Ileya (Eid el-Kabir) holiday, so the date moves each year with the Islamic calendar · Ogun
- Festival
Olojo
held annually in the Yoruba traditional calendar, usually falling around October; the date is fixed by the Ife traditional council and Ifa priests each year and shifts accordingly · Osun
The other zones
- Geopolitical zone
North Central
Nigeria's middle belt, where the savannah meets the forest and no single ethnic group dominates.
- Geopolitical zone
North East
Sahel and savannah country, historic seat of the Kanem-Borno empire and home to the Mandara mountains.
- Geopolitical zone
North West
The most populous zone, the heartland of Hausa city states and the Sokoto Caliphate.
- Geopolitical zone
South East
The Igbo heartland: dense settlement, market towns and a strong tradition of enterprise.
- Geopolitical zone
South South
The Niger Delta: creeks, mangrove, oil and the most ethnically fragmented coastline in the country.
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