Writers 
The Yoruba are concentrated mostly in South-western part of Nigeria. The Yoruba can be regarded as a political unit. They have a common tradition and culture and trace their Origin to Ile-Ife as the home of Oduduwa, their ancestral father. With minor dialectical variations, the Yoruba speak the same language. The Yoruba are split into subgroups namely, Egba, Egbado (Yewa) Ijebu, Ekiti, Ondo, Owo, Akoko, Ikale and other related groups particularly in Ondo State. Others are Oyo, Awori, Egun, Ife, Osun, Ijesa and Igbomina. All these groups share similar cultural, political, economic and social institutions and live within what can be regarded as a culturally homogenous region. However, some of them can be found in Kogi and Kwara States of Nigeria, while others are located in Benin Republic. The Yoruba belong to the Kwa group of West African languages and are related to Igala, Igbo, Idoma, Edo, Ibirra and Nupe among others.
There are different versions of the origin of Yoruba. One version claims that Oduduwa was sent down from heaven by Olodumare through a chain to start the work of creation. He was let down by Olodumare with five hens and a bowl of loose earth. Every place was covered with water and Oduduwa was believed to have spread the bowl of earth on the water through the hens which used their feet to scatter it on water thereby resulting in the formation of the world. This version is based on oral tradition as passed down from one generation to another.
The second version claims that the Yoruba came or migrated from Mecca to settle at Ile Ife. The account says that the Yoruba descended from Lamurudu, one of the Kings of Mecca. From him sprang Oduduwa, the ancestor of the Yoruba. They were believed to have left Mecca as a result of an outbreak of a civil strife between the Muslims, and idol worshippers. Lamurudu died in the encounter and Oduduwa was driven out of Mecca. They then moved eastwards until they reached Ile-Ife where they settled.
The third account claims that the Yoruba came from Egypt. This has been justified on some observable similarities between Egyptian sculptures and those of Ife, and some of their practices mainly their monarchical system of government, mode of burial and so on.
The proponent of this theory was Dr. Olumide Lucas who claimed in his book titled. The Religion of the Yoruba, that "The Yoruba are expatriate Egyptians who left northeast Africa before the end of the Roman period." However, this theory has been criticized by other writers who claim that similarity in cultures does not necessarily mean the same origin. Also, most of the religious elements common among the Egyptians have been found among other races of the world outside Africa.
There are many other versions, but scholars do not lay much emphasis on these. Even a recent research undertaken by Professor Obayemi tends to suggest that Yoruba may not have migrated from the east as is widely claimed. Rather, the Yoruba, like other ethnic groups in Southern Nigeria, probably migrated from the Niger-Benue confluence. Despite the different versions of the stories about Yoruba origin, most of the Yoruba themselves believe that they descended from Oduduwa. They also believe that their ancestral place was Ife from where they spread to all parts of Yorubaland. Hence, great homage is paid to Ife as the centre from where all the Yoruba sub-group dispersed to their present locations.