Oyo

Oyo is a historic Yoruba town, the ancient seat of the Alaafin and the old Oyo Empire, smaller and quieter than nearby Ibadan but still a busy market and farming hub along the Ogbomoso road. Life here moves around the palace, the central market, and compounds where extended families often share close quarters — a place with strong community ties, even for those without a fixed roof. According to Nigeria's National Bureau of Statistics, average monthly household income across Oyo State sits near ₦35,000, well below what's needed for stable housing in town. There's no separate homeless count for Oyo itself, but the nearest tracked figure, from a 2022 Oyo State social welfare survey covering the state's urban centers including Ibadan, put the number sleeping rough at around 4,700 — and outreach workers say that's only grown with rising food and rent costs since. The Salvation Army's Ibadan corps sends outreach into Oyo periodically with food and shelter referrals, the Slum and Rural Health Care Initiative runs health screenings and support for people in informal settlements nearby, and the Oyo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development handles emergency welfare cases if you can reach them. None of it is enough, but these are real doors worth knocking on. You are not invisible here, and you are not alone — this old town has survived a lot, and so can you.