Government of Yorubaland in the pre-colonial period

In pre-colonial Yorubaland the town was the basic political unit on which the governments were based. Some of the towns succeeded in imposing their authorities over neighbouring towns and thus became centres of kingdoms or empires. The most successful of these was Old Oyo. The 19th century civil wars which led to large population movements caused administrative problems which could not be solved without modification or revolution in the existing structure of government. Bibl., map, photograph.