Just as the popular Oyo slogan that says “Ajise b’Oyo lari, Oyo s’egbe baba enikankan”, that you can only imitate Oyo but can’t be like Oyo. Oyo is usually referred to as Oyo State to distinguish it from the city of Oyo, 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.
The City of Oyo
Oyo State was formed in 1976 from Western State and included Ọsun State, which was split off in 1991. Oyo State is homogenous, mainly inhabited by the Yoruba ethnic group who are primarily agrarian but have a predilection for living in high-density urban centres. The indigenes mainly comprise the Oyos, the Oke-Oguns, the Ibadans and the Ibarapas, all belonging to the Yoruba family and indigenous city in Africa. Ibadan had been the centre of administration of the old Western Region since the days of British colonial rule.
Just like every other state in Nigeria, Oyo has its unique number plate numbers. State codes are used as a form of identification for all vehicles depending on their local government area and important places around the state.
Oyo State consists of thirty-three (33) Local Government Areas and the number plate are drafted based on notable places in the Oyo state.
Below are Oyo State plate number codes and what their abbreviation means
BDJ – Bodija Ibadan
AME – Arowomole (Ogbomosho)
LUY – Oluyole (Ibadan)
MAP – Mapo (Ibadan)
SEY – Iseyin
GBR – Igbo-Ora
NRK – Onireke (Ibadan)
YYY – Oyoy East (HQ in Kosobo)
FMT – Atiba (HQ in Offa Meta)
JND – Oyo West (HQ in Ojongbodu)
Nigerian vehicle registration plates in current use were introduced in 1992 and revised in 2011. Nigeria and Liberia are the only two African countries that use the North American standard 6 × 12 inches (152 × 300 mm), with Egypt using an approximately similar size of 170 x 350 mm. The international code for Nigeria is “WAN” (West Africa Nigeria).
The license plates are generally white and the number itself is imprinted in blue. In the upper left-hand corner, they carry the Flag of Nigeria or the national coat of arms. The state name and slogan is displayed at the top centre of the plate, and the “Federal Republic of Nigeria” is written at the bottom.
The unique plate combination itself is in the format ABC-123DE. The first three letters indicate the Local Government Area in which the vehicle was registered, which are followed by three digits and two letters. The background consists of an outline of a map of Nigeria. Before 2011, the three letters indicating the Local Government Area were at the end, in the format AB123-CDE.