Ekiti State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkìtì) is a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

southwestern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, bordered to the north by

Kwara State Kwara State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Kwárà), is a state in Western Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kogi State, to the north by Niger state, and to the south by Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the internation ...

, to the northeast by

Kogi State Kogi State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by Niger State, to the s ...

, to the south and southeast by

Ondo State Ondo State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Oǹdó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State to ...

, and to the west by

Osun State Osun State (; yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Ọ̀ṣun), occasionally known as the State of Osun by the state government, is a state in southwestern Nigeria; bounded to the east by Ekiti and Ondo states, to the north by Kwara State, to the south by Og ...

. Named for the Ekiti people—the

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

subgroup that make up the majority of the state's population—Ekiti State was formed from a part of

in 1996 and has its capital as the city of

Ado-Ekiti Ado Ekiti is the capital city of Ekiti State, Nigeria. It is the headquarter of the Ekiti central senatorial district, southwest, Nigeria. History Ado Ewi is an ancient city, founded by Ewi Awamaro the son of Biritikolu. Awamaro (the restles ...

. One of the smallest

states of Nigeria Nigeria is a federation of 36 states and 1 federal capital territory. Each of the 36 states is a semi-autonomous political unit that shares powers with the federal government as enumerated under the Constitution of Nigeria, Constitution of the F ...

, Ekiti is the 31st largest in area and 30th most populous with an estimated population of nearly 3.3 million as of 2016. Geographically, the state is divided between the

Nigerian lowland forests The Nigerian lowland forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in southwestern Nigeria and southeastern Benin. The ecoregion is densely populated, and home to several large cities including Lagos, Ibadan, and Benin City. There is still signifi ...

in most of the state and the drier

Guinean forest–savanna mosaic The Guinean forest-savanna mosaic is an ecoregion of West Africa, a band of interlaced forest, savanna, and grassland running east to west and dividing the tropical moist forests near the coast from the West Sudanian savanna of the interior. Set ...

in the north. Among the state's nature are

false acraeas ''Pseudacraea'' is an Afrotropical butterfly genus in the subfamily Limenitidinae. Their placement in the tribe Limenitidini remains to be verified. Some of these species are mimics of Acraeinae and the present genus is thus known as false acra ...

mona monkey The mona monkey (''Cercopithecus mona'') is an Old World monkey that lives in western Africa between Ghana and Cameroon. The mona monkey can also be found on the island of Grenada as it was transported to the island aboard slave ships headed to ...

forest buffalo The African forest buffalo (''Syncerus caffer nanus''), also known as the dwarf buffalo or the Congo buffalo, is the smallest subspecies of the African buffalo. It is related to the Cape buffalo (''Syncerus caffer caffer''), the Sudan buffalo ('' ...

, and

grey parrot The grey parrot (''Psittacus erithacus''), also known as the Congo grey parrot, Congo African grey parrot or African grey parrot, is an Old World parrot in the family Psittacidae. The Timneh parrot ''(Psittacus timneh)'' once was identified as ...

populations along with one of the last remaining

Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee The Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes ellioti'') is a subspecies of the common chimpanzee which inhabits the rainforest along the border of Nigeria and Cameroon. Male Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees can weigh up to 70 kilos with a bo ...

populations with a troop of about 20 chimpanzees in the heavily threatened

Ise Forest Reserve Ise Forest Reserve is located in Ekiti State, southwestern Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Afr ...

. In March 2022, Ekiti State became the first state in Nigeria to adopt a state tree as one of its official symbols. On World Forest Day 2022, Governor Kayode Fayemi announced that Obeche (

Triplochiton scleroxylon ''Triplochiton scleroxylon'' is a tree of the genus '' Triplochiton'' of the family ''Malvaceae''. The timber is known by the common names African whitewood, abachi, obeche (in Nigeria), wawa (in Ghana), ayous (in Cameroon) and sambawawa (in Ivor ...

) had been chosen as State Tree owing to its local prominence and environmental, economic and cultural significance. Modern-day Ekiti State has been primarily inhabited for centuries by the Ekiti people, a

subgroup, with minorities of the Akoko Yoruba subgroup. Religiously, the majority of the state's population (~85%) are

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

with smaller

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

and traditionalist minorities at about 10% and 5%, respectively. In the pre-colonial period, the area that is now Ekiti State was at various points ruled by the

Oyo Empire The Oyo Empire was a powerful Yoruba empire of West Africa made up of parts of present-day eastern Benin and western Nigeria (including Southwest zone and the western half of Northcentral zone). It grew to become the largest Yoruba-speaking s ...

, Benin Empire, and finally, the Ekiti states which formed the Ekiti Confederacy in the later half of the 1800s. From 1877 to 1893, the Confederacy fought the

Kiriji War The Kiriji War, also known as the Ekiti–Parapo War, was a 16-year-long civil war between the subethnic kingdoms of the Yoruba people, specifically divided between the Western Yoruba, which was mainly the Ibadan and Oyo-speaking Yorubas, and the ...

led by Fabunmi Okemesi alongside other Eastern Yoruba groups against the Ibadan Kingdom and other Western Yoruba groups; the war ended in a British-brokered stalemate before the area was colonized and incorporated into the British

Southern Nigeria Protectorate Southern Nigeria was a British protectorate in the coastal areas of modern-day Nigeria formed in 1900 from the union of the Niger Coast Protectorate with territories chartered by the Royal Niger Company below Lokoja on the Niger River. The ...

which later merged into

British Nigeria Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. British influence in the region began with the prohibition of slave trade to British subjects in 1807. Britain a ...

in 1914. After independence in 1960, the area of now-Ekiti was a part of the post-independence Western Region until 1967 when the region was split and the area became part of the Western State. In 1976, the Western State was split and the state's east became

. Twenty years later, Ondo State's northwest (then termed the Ekiti Zone) was broken off to form Ekiti State. Economically, Ekiti State is partially based around agriculture, mainly of yams,

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

, and

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

crops. Key minor industries are

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

and tourism. Ekiti has the joint-thirteenth highest

Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index of life expectancy, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income indicators, whi ...

in the country and is considered the heart of the homeland of the Ekiti people.

History

Ekiti was an independent state prior to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

conquest. It was one of the many

states in what is today

. The Ekiti people as a nation and districts of Yoruba race trace some of her progeny to

Oduduwa Oduduwa was a Yoruba divine king. According to tradition, he was the holder of the title of the ''Olofin'' of Ile-Ife, the Yoruba holy city. He ruled briefly in Ife, and also served as the progenitor of a number of independent royal dynastie ...

, the father and progenitor of Yoruba race even though good reason appear to establish the existence of aboriginal people in Ekiti region prior to influx of royalty from present day

Ile Ife Ile may refer to: * iLe, a Puerto Rican singer * Ile District (disambiguation), multiple places * Ilé-Ifẹ̀, an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria * Interlingue (ISO 639:ile), a planned language * Isoleucine, an amino acid * Anothe ...

as that kingdom grew and abound. There are two major schools of thought regarding Ekiti history. First was the story that tied the origin of Ekiti to Ife. The story goes that the Olofin, one of the sons of Oduduwa had 16 children and in the means of searching for the new land to develop, they all journeyed out of Ile-Ife as they walked through the Iwo - Eleru (Cave of Ashes) at Isarun and had stop over at a place called Igbo-Aka (forest of termites) closer to Ile-Oluji. The Olofin, the 16 children and some other beloved people continued with their journey, but when they got to a particular lovely and flat land, the Owa-Obokun (the Monarch of

Ijesha The Ijesha (written as Ìjẹ̀ṣà in Yoruba orthography) are a sub- ethnicity of the Yorubas of West Africa. Ilesha is the largest town and historic cultural capital of the Ijesha people, and is home to a kingdom of the same name, ruled by an ...

land) and

Orangun {{Yoruba people Orangun or Ọ̀ràngún is the title of the paramount ruler of one of the ancient Igbomina kingdoms, a sub group of the Yoruba people with its seat and capital located in Ila Orangun, central Yorubaland, presently in southwestern Ni ...

of Ila decided to stay in the present Ijesha and Igbomina land in

Osun state Osun State (; yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Ọ̀ṣun), occasionally known as the State of Osun by the state government, is a state in southwestern Nigeria; bounded to the east by Ekiti and Ondo states, to the north by Kwara State, to the south by Og ...

. While the remaining 14 children journeyed onwards and later settled in the present day Ekiti land. They discovered that there were many hills in the place and they said in their mother's language that this is "Ile olokiti" the land of hills. Therefore, the Okiti later blended to Ekiti. So Ekiti derived her name through hills. It must however be noted, that this history may describe the history of certain royalty in present-day Ekiti, but not all of Ekiti which is made up of 131 Principal towns, with their own royalty and many land-owning communities with no royalty at all. In fact, the invading royalties from the East went on to colonize and transform the aboriginals, distinguishing the Ekiti dialect upon mix-up with the Ife/ Oyo tongue of the Yorubas according to

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

, the renowned historian of early Yoruba States and Affairs Second school of thought on Ekiti origin is more likely and grounded in actual history. It was said that Oduduwa, the ancestor of the Yoruba traveled to Ife fe Ooyelagbowhere he met people who were already settled there. Among the elders he met in the town were Agbonniregun tetillu Obatala, Orelure, Obameri, Elesije, Obamirin, Obalejugbe just to mention a few. It is known that descendants of Agbonniregun

aba Ifa ABA may refer to: Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, United States * Asahi Broadcasting Aomori, Japanese television station * Australian Broadcasting Authority Education * Académie des Beaux- ...

settled in Ekiti, examples being the Alara and Ajero who are sons of Ifa. Orunmila gbonniregunhimself spent a greater part of his life at Ado. Due to this, we have the saying ‘Ado ni ile Ifa’ do is the home of Ifa The Ekiti have ever since settled in their present location. Nobody can give accurate dates to these events due to the lack of written sources, but people have lived in Ekiti for centuries. It is on record that Ekiti Obas had prosperous reign in the 13th century. An example was the reign of Ewi Ata of

in the 1400s. About the Ekitis,

had this to say: "Historically, the Ekitis are among the aboriginal elements of the Nigeria absorbed by the invaders from the East (Yoruba people from Ile Ife). "The term ''Ekiti'' denotes a "Mound", and is derived from the rugged mountainous feature of that part of the country. It is an extensive province and well watered, including several tribes and families right on to the border of the Niger, eastward. They hold themselves quite distinct from the Ijesas, especially in political affairs." (Samuel Johnson, The History of the Yoruba, 1921). It is believed that the ancestors of Ekiti people who came to combine with the aboriginal people on the land migrated from Ile Ife, the spiritual home of the Yoruba people. According to oral and contemporary written sources of Yoruba history, Oduduwa, the ancestor of the Yoruba traveled to Ife fe Ooyelagbowhere he met people who were already settled there. Among the elders he met in the town were Agbonniregun tetillu Obatala, Orelure, Obameri, Elesije, Obamirin, Obalejugbe just to mention a few. It is known that descendants of Agbonniregun

settled in Ekiti, examples being the Alara and Ajero who are sons of Ifa. Orunmila gbonniregunhimself spent a greater part of his life at Ado. Due to this, we have the saying ‘Ado ni ile Ifa’ do is the home of Ifa The Ekiti have ever since settled in their present location. The early Ekiti country is divided into 16 districts (and it has been maintained to this day), each with its own Owa or King (Owa being a generic term amongst them) of which four are supreme, viz. : — (1) The Owore of Otun, (2) The Ajero of

Ijero Ijero Ekiti is a town in Ekiti State of Nigeria in West Africa. Ijero Ekiti is situated in the northwest part of Ekiti State. Ijero Ekiti is the Local Government Headcount. The main language spoken by the indigenes of Ijero Ekiti is Ekiti dial ...

, (3) The Ewi of Ado and (4) The Elekole of

Ikole Ikole is a Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Ikole. The current Chairman of the Local Government is Prince Olominu Sola Ebenezer, who polled a total of 21,228 votes to defeat other candidates in the ...

. The following are the minor Ekiti kings : — (5) Alara of Aramoko, (6) Alaye of Efon Alaye, (7) Ajanpanda of

Akure Akure is a city in south-western Nigeria. It is the capital and largest city of Ondo State. The city had a population of 403,000 as at the 2006 population census. History Pre 1914 Rock engravings dating back to the Mesolithic period, ha ...

, (8) Alagotun of Ogotun, (9) Olojudo of

Ido Ido () is a constructed language derived from Reformed Esperanto, and similarly designed with the goal of being a universal second language for people of diverse backgrounds. To function as an effective ''international auxiliary language'', I ...

, (10) Attah of Aiyede, (11) Oloja Oke of Igbo Odo, (12) Oloye of Oye, (13) Olomuwo of Omuwo, (14) Onire of Ire, (15) Arinjale of Ise and (16) Onitaji of Itaji. The Orangun of Ila is sometimes classed among them, but he is only Ekiti in sympathy, being of a different family." The modern Ekiti state was formed from part of

Ondo Ondo may refer to: Japan * Ondo, Hiroshima * Ondo (music), a style of folk music * ''Ondo'' class oiler, ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy Nigeria * Ondo City * Ondo State * Roman Catholic Diocese of Ondo * Ondo Kingdom (c. 1510–1899) People ...

in 1996. Prior to this, it was part of the Ondo Province in Western Region of Nigeria. While the non-Ekiti part of the region largely dominated geographically, Akure which was then regarded as an Ekiti town was the headquarters of Ondo province.

Geography

The State is mainly an upland zone, rising over 250 meters above sea level. It lies on an area underlain by

metamorphic rock Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock ( protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, caus ...

. It is generally an undulating part of the country with a characteristic landscape that consists of old plains broken by step-sided out-crops that may occur singularly or in groups or ridges. Such rocks out-crops exist mainly at Aramoko, Efon-Alaiye,

Ikere-Ekiti Ikere-Ekiti, also known as Ikere or Ikerre, is a city in Ekiti State of Nigeria.In Ikere Local Government. It is an agricultural and mine centre. According to the 1963 and 1991 census, the population was 114,780 and 60,257 respectively, but the ...

, Igbara-odo- ekiti and Okemesi-Ekiti. The State is dotted with rugged hills, notable ones being Ikere-Ekiti Hills in the south, Efon-Alaiye Hills on the western boundary and

Hills in the centre.

Climate and vegetation

The State enjoys tropical climate with two distinct seasons. These are the

rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * '' ...

(April–October) and the

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...

(November–March). Temperature ranges between 21° and 28 °C with high humidity. The south westerly wind and the northeast trade winds blow in the rainy and dry (

Harmattan The Harmattan is a season in West Africa that occurs between the end of November and the middle of March. It is characterized by the dry and dusty northeasterly trade wind, of the same name, which blows from the Sahara over West Africa into the ...

) seasons respectively.

Tropical forest Tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle) are forested landscapes in tropical regions: ''i.e.'' land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds. Some tropical fores ...

exists in the south, while

savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

occupies the northern peripheries.

Towns and administrative divisions

Local Government Areas

Ekiti State consists of sixteen

Local Government Areas A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The phrase i ...

. They are: *

Ikere Ikere-Ekiti, also known as Ikere or Ikerre, is a city in Ekiti State of Nigeria.In Ikere Local Government. It is an agricultural and mine centre. According to the 1963 and 1991 census, the population was 114,780 and 60,257 respectively, but the ...

* Oye * Aiyekire (Gbonyin) *

Efon Efon is a Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Efon-Alaaye. It has an area of 232 km and a population of 86,941 at the 2006 census. The postal code A postal code (also known locally in va ...

Ekiti East Ekiti East is a Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Omuo Ekiti. Ekiti East Local Government Area falls within the Southern Senatorial zone of Ekiti State otherwise known as Ekiti South Senatorial Dis ...

Ekiti South-West Ekiti South-West is a Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Ilawe Ekiti. It has an area of 346 km and a population of 165,277 at the 2006 census. The postal code A postal code (also known ...

Ekiti West Ekiti West is a Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Aramoko. It has an area of 366 km and a population of 179,892 at the 2006 census. The postal code A postal code (also known locally in ...

Emure Emure is a town in the Ekiti State of Nigeria. It is also called Emure Ekiti. It became much better known in the US after the king of Emure's grandson Adewale Ogunleye made it into the NFL for the Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a pro ...

Ido-Osi Ido-Osi is a town located in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The local government is full of rural towns and villages and is one of the local government districts of Ekiti State. It is very close to other local districts, including Moba, Ijero, Ilejemeje ...

Ilejemeje Ilejemeje is a Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria, consisting of seven towns. Its headquarters are in the town of Eda Oniyo. It has an area of 95 km, and had a population of 43,530 at the 2006 census. Its postal code A posta ...

Irepodun/Ifelodun Irepodun/Ifelodun is a Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Irepodun/Ifelodun is predominantly a homogeneous society and carefully populated by Yoruba speaking people of the South West of Nigeria. It has an area of 356 km and a pop ...

Ise/Orun Ise/Orun is a Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Ise Ekiti. It has an area of 432 km and a population of 113,754 at the 2006 census. The postal code A postal code (also known locally i ...

Moba Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) is a subgenre of strategy video games in which two teams of players compete against each other on a predefined battlefield. Each player controls a single character with a set of distinctive abilities that i ...

Current list of Local Government Area Chairmen.

1 Ise/Orun: Hon. Olumide Falade 2 Gbonyin: Hon. Sade Akinrinmola 3 Emure: Hon. Oludare Paul Awopetu 4 Ido-Osi: Hon. Chief Ayodeji Arogbodo 5 Oye: Hon. Tayo Ogundare 6 Irepodun/Ifelodun: Hon. Dapo Olagunju 7 Ado-Ekiti: Hon. Deji Ogunsakin 8 Ikere: Hon. Bola Alonge 9 Ekiti South West: Hon. Lanrewaju Omolase 10 Efon: Hon. Bolaji Jeje 11 Ilejemeje: Hon. Ganiyu Bakare 12 Ijero: Hon. Abiodun Dada 13 Ekiti East: Hon. Samuel Adeniyi 14 Ekiti West: Hon. Kolawole Omotunde 15 Moba: Hon. Adeniyi Adebayo 16 Ikole: Hon. Adesola Adeyanju Watersided Hill of Ikole Town, Ekiti State

Watersided Hill of Ikole Town, Ekiti State

Proposed 18 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Ekiti State

The Ekiti State Government in 2014, prior to the exit of the immediate past Governor Fayemi, was to create additional 18 LCDAs based on the recommendations of the White Paper Committee set up by the government. This has, however, been cancelled by Governor

Ayo Fayose Peter Ayodele Fayose (born 15 November 1960) is a Nigerian politician and the former Governor of Ekiti State. Early life Fayose grew up in Oyo State where he attended Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo. In 1985, He was admitted to a Higher N ...

Demographics

Ekitis are culturally homogeneous and they speak a dialect of Yoruba language known as Ekiti. The homogeneous nature of Ekiti confers on the state some uniqueness among the states of the federation. Slight differences are noticeable in the Ekiti dialects of the

Yoruba language Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in Southwestern and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speakers is roughly 50 million, plus about 2 million second-languag ...

spoken by the border communities to other states. For example, the people of Ado local government area do not speak exactly the same dialect with the people of Ijero Local government area, while the people of Ikole area speak something different from the people of Ikere area. The communities influenced by their locations include Otun (Moba land) that speaks a dialect close to the one spoken by the Igbominas in

. The people of Oke-Ako, Irele, Omuo speak a similar

dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...

to that of Ijesas of

. However, part of the uniqueness of the Ekitis is that wherever is your own part of the state, you will understand well, when the other Ekiti man/woman speaks, in spite of the dialectal variations. In addition, all towns in Ekiti State take a common suffix, “Ekiti,” after their names. The dominant religions in Ekiti State are Islam and Christianity although a certain amount of traditional religion is still practiced.

Languages

Languages of Ekiti State listed by LGA: Akpes, Ayere, and Emai-Iuleha-Ora are also spoken in Ekiti State.

Education

Ekiti State operates the 6-3-3-4 system of education in use in Nigeria. The primary education is under the supervision of Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board which usually partner with UBEC to ensure the development of human capacity and infrastructure as captured in the Universal Basic Education Policy. The State Ministry of Education coordinates the registration and maintenance in both private and public schools from basic to the secondary level as it is applicable all over

. Emmanuel School (now Emmanuel Nursery and Primary School)established in 1896 was the first and now the oldest formal school in Ekiti State. Saint Joseph Nursery and Primary School, Ado-Ekiti, St. Louis Primary School, Ikere-Ekiti, Catford Nursery and Primary School, Ado-Ekiti, and EKSU Staff School are among the most popular primary schools in Ekiti State. Notable secondary schools in Ekiti State include but not limited to Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti, Petoa City College, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti Anglican Diocesan High School, Ado-Ekiti and Notre Dame College, Usi-Ekiti. The

Afe Babalola University Afe Babalola University (ABUAD) is a private university located in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. It was founded by a lawyer and philanthropist, Afe Babalola, in 2009. Afe Babalola University offers Academic programs in six Colleges: Science ...

, Ado-Ekiti that was established in 2009 which has its main campus in the capital city of Ekiti State, is one of the leading private universities in Nigeria. Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, and the newly established Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology Ikere-Ekiti are the public universities in Ekiti State. Other tertiary institutions in Ekiti State are the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, Crown Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti, College of Health Technology, Ijero-Ekiti.

Natural resources

Ekiti land is naturally endowed with numerous natural resources. The state is potentially rich in mineral deposits. These include

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

, kaolinite,

columbite Columbite, also called niobite, niobite-tantalite and columbate [], is a black mineral group that is an ore of niobium. It has a submetallic Lustre (mineralogy), luster and a high density and is a niobate of iron and manganese. This mineral group ...

, charnockite,

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

, baryte, limestones, aquamarine, gemstone,

phosphate In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid . The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phospho ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, tourmaline, gold coal in limited quantty among others. They are largely deposited in different towns and villages of Ijero, Ekiti West, Ado - Ekiti, Ikole, Ikere, Ise-Ekiti and other Local Government Areas. The Land is also blessed with water resources, some of its major rivers are Ero,

Osun Ọṣun, is an orisha, a spirit, a deity, or a goddess that reflects one of the manifestations of the Yorùbá Supreme Being in the Ifá oral tradition and Yoruba-based religions of West Africa. She is one of the most popular and venerated ...

, Ose, and Ogbese. The state of hills is also blessed with variety of tourist attractions abound in the state namely,

Ikogosi Warm Springs The Ikogosi Warm Springs is a tourist attraction located at Ikogosi, a town in Ekiti State, southwestern Nigeria. Flowing abreast the warm spring is another cold spring which meets the warm spring at a confluence, each maintaining its therm ...

; Arinta Water Falls; Olosunta and Orole hills of Ikere; Erin-ayonugba River at Erijiyan Ekiti; Fajuyi Memorial Park of Ado - Ekiti and so on. The Ikogosi tourist centre is the most popular and the most developed. The warm spring is a unique natural feature, and supporting facilities are developed in the centre. The spring is at present, being processed and packaged into bottled water for commercial purpose by a private company - UAC Nigeria. Moreover, the land is buoyant in agricultural resources with

as its leading cash crop. It was largely known that Ekiti land constituted well over 40% of the cocoa products of the famous old Western Region. The land is also known for its forest resources, notably

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

, and in March 2022, Obeche (

) was adopted as State Tree due to its prominence and economic significance. Because of the favourable climatic conditions, the land enjoys luxuriant vegetation, thus, it has abundant resources of different species of timber. Food crops such as yam,

, and also

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...

s like

and

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

are grown in large quantities. Other notable crops such as kola nut and varieties of fruits are also cultivated in commercial quantities.

Gallery

File:The Iworoko mountain 05.jpg, The Iworoko mountain File:Wooden Walkway of Ikogosi Cold and Warm Spring.jpg, Wooden Walkway of Ikogosi Cold and Warm Spring File:Mountain view Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti State.jpg, Mountain view Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti State Aramoko-Ekiti Roundabout, Aramoko-Ekiti, Ekiti state.jpg, Aramoko-Ekiti Roundabout, Aramoko-Ekiti Araromi Baptist Chruch, Igede-Ekiti, Ekiti.jpg, Araromi Baptist Church, Igede-Ekiti Arinta Water Fall, Ipole Iloro.jpg, Gate into Arinta Water Fall, Ipole Iloro Arinta water fall.3.jpg, Arinta water fall Arinta Waterfall, Ipole Iloro3.jpg, Arinta Waterfall Edu High School Avenue Sign Post, Erio-Ekiti, Ekiti State.jpg, Edu High School Avenue Sign Post, Erio-Ekiti Ekiti Baptist High School, Igede Ekiti, Ekiti State.jpg, Ekiti Baptist High School, Igede Ekiti Ekiti state internal revenue house, Ado-ekiti2.jpg, Ekiti state internal revenue house, Ado-ekiti Ekiti state local government service commission.2.jpg, Ekiti state local government service commission Ekiti state University Teaching Hospital, Ado-ekiti2.jpg, Ekiti state University Teaching Hospital, Ado-ekiti2.jpg Ekiti state University Teaching Hospital, Ado-ekiti3.jpg, Ekiti state University Teaching Hospital, Ado-ekiti Erelu Adebayo children home, Igede-Ekiti, Ekiti.jpg, Erelu Adebayo children home, Igede-Ekiti ERI AYONUGBA RIVER, ERIJIYAN-EKITI, EKITI STATE 2.jpg, Eri Ayonigba River, Erijiyan-Ekiti ERI AYONUGBA RIVER, ERIJIYAN-EKITI, EKITI STATE55.jpg, Eri Ayonigba River, Erijiyan-Ekiti Erin-Ayonugba High School, Erijiyan Ekiti 3.jpg, Erin-Ayonugba High School, Erijiyan Ekiti Erio-Ekiti Signpost, Ekiti state.jpg, Erio-Ekiti Signpost, Ekiti state Welcome to Ikogosi ekiti.jpg, Welcome to Ikogosi signpost Welcome to Igede-Ekiti signboard, Ekiti state.jpg, Welcome to Igede-Ekiti sign board Welcome to Efon-Alaye signboard, Ekiti state.jpg, Welcome to Efon-Alaye sign board St. Paul Anglican church. Erijiyan ekiti.jpg, St. Paul Anglican church, Erijiyan St. Paul Anglican church odo ado ekiti 2.jpg, St. Paul Anglican church odo ado

Notable Ekiti indigenes

Niyi Adebayo Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo (born 4 February 1958) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who has served as minister of Industry, Trade and Investment of Nigeria since August 2019. He previously served as governor of Ekiti State from 29 May 1999 to 29 ...

: former governor, first executive governor of Ekiti State, (the son of

Robert Adeyinka Adebayo Robert Adeyinka Adebayo (9 March 1928 – 8 March 2017) was a Nigerian Army major general who served as governor of the now defunct Western State of Nigeria, 1966–1971. He was also Chief of Staff of the Nigerian Army and was Commandant of the ...

). *

: Ex Governor, Western Region and Western State of Nigeria, (the father of

). *

Odunlade Adekola Odunlade Adekola , (born 31 December 1976) is a Nigerian actor, singer, film-maker, film producer and film director. He gained popularity and was widely known for his lead role in Ishola Durojaye's 2003 movie, ''Asiri Gomina Wa'', and has act ...

: actor *

Alhaji Abdul Azeez Kolawole Adeyemo Abdul Azeez Kolawole Adeyemo (June 14, 1941 – March 12, 2002), popularly known as 'Alhaji how are you', was a Nigerian and prominent Yoruba politician. He was born in Ado-Ekiti the Ekiti State capital to Sir. Rufai Adeyemo & Princess Adebolarin A ...

: prominent politician *

Sade Adu Helen Folasade Adu ( yo, Fọláṣadé Adú ; born 16 January 1959), known professionally as Sade Adu or simply Sade ( ), is a Nigerian-born British singer, known as the lead singer of her eponymous band. One of the most successful British fe ...

: musician * Bolaji Aluko: professor *

Gbenga Aluko Daniel Olugbenga Aluko (20 July 1963 – 20 November 2021) was a Nigerian politician. He was elected Senator for the Ekiti South constituency of Ekiti State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, running on the People's Democrat ...

: senator * Sam Aluko: economist and father to Bolaji Aluko and

* Niniola Apata, musician and elder sister to

Teniola Apata Teniola Apata (born 23 December 1993), professionally known as Teni The Entertainer is a Nigerians, Nigerian Singing, singer, songwriter and entertainer. Early life Teni was born on 23 December 1992 in Lagos State. She is the younger siste ...

, musician and younger sister to Niniola Apata *

Yinka Ayefele Olayinka Joel Ayefele MON is a Nigerian music producer, gospel singer, radio presenter, and founder of Fresh and Blast FM network of radio stations across south-western Nigeria. Early life Ayefele was born in Ipoti-Ekiti, a city in Ekiti Stat ...

: musician * Afe Babalola: senior advocate of Nigeria, philanthropist * Rasak Ojo Bakare professor * Richard Bamisile: Nigerian politician and member of the Federal House of Representatives. *

Babalola Borishade Abraham Babalola Borishade (7 March 1946 – 26 April 2017) was a Nigerian politician. He was a four time Federal Minister in Nigeria, between 1999-2011. He was known as an electrical engineer, teacher and political strategist. Early life Borishad ...

: 4-time Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, CFR *

Adekunle Fajuyi Francis Adekunle Fajuyi (26 June 1926 – 29 July 1966) was a Nigerian soldier of Yoruba origin. and the first military governor of the former Western Region, Nigeria. Originally a teacher and clerk, Fajuyi of Ado Ekiti joined the army i ...

: First Military Governor, Western Region of Nigeria - The Region is now divided to 6 States. *

Femi Falana Femi Falana, SAN (born 20 May 1958)In the town of Ilawe, Ekiti State He is a Nigerian lawyer and Human right activist.He is also the father to Folarin Falana popularly known as Falz. Femi Falana is a well-known activist for human rights, always ...

: senior advocate of Nigeria, activist, (the father of

Falz Folarin Falana (born 27 October 1990), better known by his stage name Falz, is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter and actor who began his career while in secondary school after forming a group called The School Boys with his friend before his profe ...

). *

: musician, (the son of

) *

Olusoji Fasuba Olusoji Adetokunbo Fasuba (born 9 July 1984) is a Nigerian sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres.

: sprinter and sports *

Kayode Fayemi John Olukayode Fayemi (born 9 February 1965) is a Nigerian politician who served as Governor of Ekiti State from 2018 to 2022. He previously served in office between 2010 and 2014 before losing re-election to Ayo Fayose, Ayodele Fayose. He was ...

: Governor Ekiti State *

: former governor of Ekiti State *

Zlatan Ibile Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael (born 19 December 1994), known professionally as Zlatan Ibile, is a Nigerian rapper and singer. He is the chief executive officer and founder of Zanku records. In 2014, he won the Airtel-sponsored One Mic talent show held ...

: artist , dancer *

Oluyemi Kayode Oluyemi Kayode (7 July 1968 – 1 October 1994) was a Nigerian sprinter. Kayode won the silver medal in 4 x 100 m relay at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, together with teammates Chidi Imoh, Olapade Adeniken and David ...

: sprinter *

Babafemi Ojudu Babafemi Ojudu (born 27 March 1961) is a Nigerian journalist who was elected Senator for the Ekiti Central constituency of Ekiti State, Nigeria, in the April 2011 national elections. He ran on the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) platform. Early ...

: senator, current special adviser to president * Senator Abiodun Olujimi: a senator of the Federal Republic Nigeria representing Ekiti South constituency and deputy minority whip *

Bamidele Olumilua Bamidele Isola Olumilua (1940 – 4 June 2020) was a Nigerian politician who was the elected Governor of Ondo State, Nigeria from January 1992 to November 1993 during the Nigerian Third Republic, elected on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platfo ...

: former governor, Old Ondo State *

Segun Oni Olusegun Oni (born 5 September 1954) is a Nigerian politician who served as governor of Ekiti State from 29 May 2007 to 14 October 2010. He was a member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In 2014 he ...

: politician and former governor, Ekiti State *

Niyi Osundare Niyi Osundare is a leading African poet, dramatist, linguist, and literary critic. Born on March 12, 1947, in Ikere-Ekiti, Nigeria, his poetry is influenced by the oral poetry of his Yoruba culture, which he capaciously hybridizes with other poetic ...

: poet, professor *

Sola Sobowale Sola Sobowale (born 26 December 1963) is a Nigerian film actress, screenwriter, film director and film producer. Sola Sobowale had her big break in 2001, in the premiere of Nigeria's popular television drama series Super Story: ''Oh Father, O ...

: actress *

Tope Tedela Temitope Christopher Tedela (born 5 June 1990) is a Nigerian actor and producer. He has received several awards for his work including Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award, Nigeria Entertainment Award, Best of Nollywood Award and Nollywood Mov ...

: actor *

Puffy Tee Temidayo Babatope Joseph, popularly known by his stage name PuffyTee, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and record producer. from Ekiti state, Nigeria. In 2016, he was given a special recognition award by the organisers of the City People Entertainmen ...

: record producer S. Banji Akintoye: history professor and writer.

References

Sources

* Adesina Adetola. ''Ekiti Kete: The Value, The Virtue and The Vision''. 2008. * Samuel Johnson. The History of the Yoruba, 1921

External links

Ekiti247.com

Ekiti.com

Ekitinigeria.net

saharareporters.com

ekitistate.gov.ng
{{Portal bar, Nigeria States of Nigeria States in Yorubaland States and territories established in 1996 1996 establishments in Nigeria