Kwara State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Kwárà), 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 ...

in Western

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 east 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 north by

Niger state Niger is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. Niger state has three political zones, zone A,B and C. The state's capital is at Minna. Other major cities are Bida, Kontagora and Suleja. It was ...

, and to the south by Ekiti,

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 ...

, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the international border with

Benin Republic Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

. Its capital is the city of Ilorin and the state has 16

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 ...

. Of the 36

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 ...

, Kwara is the ninth largest in area, but the sixth least populous, with an estimated population of about 3.2 million as at 2016. Geographically, Kwara state is split between the

West Sudanian savanna The West Sudanian savanna is a tropical savanna ecoregion that extends across West Africa. Geography The ecoregion stretches east and west across West Africa, from the Atlantic coast of Senegal to the Mandara Mountains on Nigeria's eastern borde ...

in the west, and the

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 ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

in the rest of the state. Important geographic features of the state include rivers, with the

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesLake Jeba A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

, before continuing as the border, while the Awun, Asa, Aluko, and Oyun rivers flow through the interior. In the far northwest of the state is the Borgu section of the

Kainji National Park Kainji National Park is a national park in Niger State and Kwara State, Nigeria. Established in 1978, it covers an area of about . The park includes three distinct sectors: a part of the Kainji Lake in which fishing is restricted, the Borgu G ...

, a large

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

that contains populations of

grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more norther ...

kob The kob (''Kobus kob'') is an antelope found across Central Africa and parts of West Africa and East Africa. Together with the closely related reedbucks, waterbucks, lechwe, Nile lechwe, and puku, it forms the Reduncinae tribe. Found along ...

hippopotamus The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...

, African bush elephant,

olive baboon The olive baboon (''Papio anubis''), also called the Anubis baboon, is a member of the family Cercopithecidae Old World monkeys. The species is the most wide-ranging of all baboons, being native to 25 countries throughout Africa, extending fr ...

, and roan antelope, along with some of the last remaining

West African lion ''Panthera leo leo'' is a lion subspecies, which is present in West Africa, northern Central Africa and India. In West and Central Africa it is restricted to fragmented and isolated populations with a declining trajectory. It has been referred to ...

s on Earth. In the far southwest, a small part of the

Old Oyo National Park Old Oyo National Park is one of the national parks of Nigeria, located across northern Oyo State and southern Kwara State, Nigeria. The park is 2,512 km2 of land in northern Oyo state, south west Nigeria, at latitude 8° 15’ and 9° 00’N ...

contains

crowned eagle The crowned eagle, also known as the African crowned eagle or the crowned hawk-eagle (''Stephanoaetus coronatus''), is a large bird of prey found in sub-Saharan Africa; in Southern Africa it is restricted to eastern areas.Sinclair & Ryan (2003) ...

martial eagle The martial eagle (''Polemaetus bellicosus'') is a large eagle native to sub-Saharan Africa.Ferguson-Lees & Christie, ''Raptors of the World''. Houghton Mifflin Company (2001), . It is the only member of the genus ''Polemaetus''. A species of t ...

, African buffalo,

oribi The oribi (; ''Ourebia ourebi'') is a small antelope found in eastern, southern and western Africa. The sole member of its genus, it was described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1783. While this is the only ...

, and

patas monkey The common patas monkey (''Erythrocebus patas''), also known as the wadi monkey or hussar monkey, is a ground-dwelling monkey distributed over semi-arid areas of West Africa, and into East Africa. Taxonomy There is some confusion surrounding ...

populations. Kwara state has been inhabited for years by various ethnic groups, primarily the majority

Yoruba people 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 constitut ...

that live throughout the state, but there are sizeable minorities of

Nupe people The Nupe (traditionally called the ''Nupawa'' by the Hausas and ''Tapa'' by the neighbouring Yoruba) are an ethnic group native to the Middle Belt of Nigeria. They are the dominant ethnic group in Niger State and a minority in Kwara State. T ...

in the northeast, Bariba (Baatonu) and Busa (Bokobaru) peoples in the west, and a small

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...

population in Ilorin, moving through the state as nomadic

herders A herder is a pastoral worker responsible for the care and management of a herd or flock of domestic animals, usually on open pasture. It is particularly associated with nomadic or transhumant management of stock, or with common land grazing. ...

. In the pre-colonial period, majority of the area that is now Kwara state was part of 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 ...

, with part of the western portions in the Borgu Kingdoms peopled by the Bariba, Boko and Bissa people, and

Nupe Kingdom The Bida Emirate is a traditional state in Nigeria, a successor to the old Nupe Kingdom, with its headquarters in Bida, Niger State. The head of the state is the Etsu Nupe, considered the leader of the Nupe people. History The old Nupe Kingdo ...

(1531-1835). In the mid 1800s, the

Fulani jihad The Fulani War of 1804–1808, also known as the Fulani Jihad or Jihad of Usman dan Fodio, was a military conflict in present-day Nigeria and Cameroon. The war began when Usman Dan Fodiyo, a prominent Islamic scholar and teacher, was exiled ...

annexed some part of what is now the state of Kwara and placed the area under the Gwandu sphere of the

Sokoto Caliphate The Sokoto Caliphate (), also known as the Fulani Empire or the Sultanate of Sokoto, was a Sunni Muslim caliphate in West Africa. It was founded by Usman dan Fodio in 1804 during the Fulani jihads after defeating the Hausa Kingdoms in the Ful ...

. In the 1890s and 1900s, British expeditions occupied the area and incorporated it into the

Northern Nigeria Protectorate Northern Nigeria (Hausa: ''Arewacin Najeriya'') was a British protectorate which lasted from 1900 until 1914 and covered the northern part of what is now Nigeria. The protectorate spanned and included the emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate an ...

. The Northern Nigeria 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, before becoming independent as

in 1960. Originally, the modern-day Kwara state was a part of the post-independence Northern Region until 1967, when the region was split and the area became the West Central State. In 1976, the state was renamed Kwara state and the name remained until the 1990s, when its southeast was split off to form a part of

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 ...

and its far northwest Borgu division was annexed into the Borgu division of

. Economically, Kwara state is largely based around

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

, mainly of

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

groundnut Groundnut may refer to: * Seeds that ripen underground, of the following plants, all in the Faboideae subfamily of the legumes: ** '' Best Basketball Player'', Obinna Udunni ** '' Arachis villosulicarpa'', a perennial peanut species ** ''Vigna sub ...

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 ...

oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its co ...

, and kola nut crops. Other key industries are services, especially in the city of Ilorin, and the livestock herding and

ranching A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

goats The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of Caprinae, goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a membe ...

, and

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

. Kwara state has the joint-twentieth 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 numerous institutions of tertiary education.

History

Kwara state was created on 27 May 1967, when the Federal Military Government of General

Yakubu Gowon Yakubu Dan-Yumma 'Jack' Gowon (born 19 October 1934) is a retired Nigerian Army general and military leader. As Head of State of Nigeria, Gowon presided over a controversial Nigerian Civil War and delivered the famous "no victor, no vanquishe ...

broke the four regions that then constituted the

Federation of Nigeria The Federation of Nigeria was a predecessor to modern-day Nigeria from 1954 to 1963. It was a British protectorate until its independence on 1 October 1960. British rule of Colonial Nigeria ended in 1960, when the ''Nigeria Independence Act 1960 ...

into 12 states. At its creation, the state was made up of the former Ilorin and

Kabba Kabba is a city in Kogi State in mid west Nigeria. It lies near the Osse River, at the intersection of roads from Lokoja, Okene, Ogidi, Ado-Ekiti, and Egbe. The town is about 295 kilometers away from Abuja. It is 511 kilometers from Lagos. ...

provinces of the then Northern Region and was initially named the West Central State but later changed to "Kwara", a local name for the

River Niger The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, ...

, in the

Hausa language Hausa (; /; Ajami: ) is a Chadic language spoken by the Hausa people in the northern half of Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Benin and Togo, and the southern half of Niger, Chad and Sudan, with significant minorities in Ivory Coast. Hausa is a member ...

. Kwara state has since 1976 reduced considerably in size as a result of further state creation exercises in Nigeria. On 13 February 1976, the

Idah Idah is a town in Kogi State, Nigeria, on the eastern bank of the Niger River in the middle belt region of Nigeria. It is the headquarter of the Igala Kingdom, and also a Local Government Area with an area of 36 km. Idah had a population ...

Dekina Dekina is a local government area in Kogi State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Dekina, on the A233 highway in the Middle Belt area at . The northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude passes through the southeast of the LGA ...

part of the state was carved out and merged with a part of the then Benue/Plateau state to form

Benue state Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 among the 7 states created at that time.The state derives its name from the Benue River which is th ...

. On 27 August 1991, five

Local Government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

areas, namely

Oyi Oyi is a Local Government Area in Anambra State, Nigeria. It is home to the Oyi people. The towns that make up the local government are Nkwelle-Ezunaka, Awkuzu, Ogbunike, Umuneba, Umunya and Nteje. Oyi/Ayamelum is a Federal Constituency ...

Yagba

Okene Okene is a town in the Nigerian state of Kogi. The town is based in a Local Government Area of the same name. Okene runs along the A2 highway. It had an area of 328 km² and a population of 320,260 at the 2006 census. The predominant people ...

Okehi Climate Okehi is a Local Government Area in Kogi State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Obangede. It has an area of 661 km and a population of 199,999 at the 2006 census. The postal code A postal code (also known locally ...

and

Kogi 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 th ...

were also excised to form part of the new

, while a sixth, Borgu Local Government Area, was merged with

. The major populated local governments are Ilorin and

Offa Offa (died 29 July 796 AD) was King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æt ...

. Kwara state has numerous mineral resources such as

tourmaline Tourmaline ( ) is a crystalline silicate mineral group in which boron is compounded with elements such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. Tourmaline is a gemstone and can be found in a wide variety of colors. The ...

tantalite The mineral group tantalite Fe,_manganese.html"_;"title="iron.html"_;"title="iron">Fe,_manganese">Mn)Tantalum">Ta2oxygen.html" ;"title="manganese">Mn)Tantalum.html" ;"title="iron">Fe,_manganese.html" ;"title="iron.html" ;"title="iron">Fe, manga ...

, and many mineral deposits in the northern part.

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 Kolanut in the Southern parts Oke - Ero, Ekiti and Isin LGA.

Climate

The climate of the Kwara state capital, Ilorin, is tropically wet and dry and it has an annual rainfall, which ranges between 990.3 mm to 1318mm

mean value There are several kinds of mean in mathematics, especially in statistics. Each mean serves to summarize a given group of data, often to better understand the overall value ( magnitude and sign) of a given data set. For a data set, the ''arithm ...

. The city has a varying temperature of 33⁰C to 37⁰C, with the third month of the year, March, being the hottest. The minimum and maximum temperature, as well as the

relative humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

of the state capital, are on the rise between years 1978 and 2017. The wind that blows in this region constitutes both South-East and North-East continental wind.

Population

As at 2006, the

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of Kwarans was 2.37 million, based on the Nigerian

2006 Census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. This population size constitutes about 1.69% of the nation's total population having relied upon

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

for population growth and

socioeconomic development Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their local ...

. The principal ethnic groups are Yoruba, Nupe, Fulani and Baruba. Residents of the state are sometimes referred to as Kwarans.

Languages

Languages of Kwara State listed by LGA: Other languages spoken in Kwara State include Busa, Boko, and

Sorko Bozo ( meaning house of straw) is a Mande language spoken by the Bozo people of the Inner Niger Delta in Mali. For Fishing, many Bozo are also found in other West African countries where there are Rivers and Dams, such as Nigeria, Burkina Faso a ...

Local Government Areas

Kwara 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: *

Asa ASA as an abbreviation or initialism may refer to: Biology and medicine * Accessible surface area of a biomolecule, accessible to a solvent * Acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin * Advanced surface ablation, refractive eye surgery * Anterior spinal ar ...

Baruten Baruten is a local government area in the North Central district of Kwara State, Nigeria, sharing a long border with the Republic of Benin. The local government begins in Ilesha Baruba and ends in Chikanda, the border town. Its headquarters is in ...

* Edu * Ekiti * Ifelodun * Ilorin East * Ilorin South * Ilorin West * Irepodun *

Isin Isin (, modern Arabic: Ishan al-Bahriyat) is an archaeological site in Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Iraq. Excavations have shown that it was an important city-state in the past. History of archaeological research Ishan al-Bahriyat was visited b ...

Kaiama Kaiama is a Local Government Area and town in northwestern Kwara State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Kaiama. Description Kaiama LGA has an area of 6,971km and a population of 124,164 at the 2006 census. The postal code of the a ...

* Moro *

Oke Ero Oke Ero is a Local Government Area in Kwara State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Iloffa. Other Major towns in Oke Ero are Odo-Owa, Idofin, Ekan Nla, Ayedun,Erin Mope, Egosi, Imode, Idofin Odo-Ase, Kajola and Ilale. The first ex ...

Oyun Oyun is a Local Government Area in Kwara State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Ilemona. It has an area of 476 km and a population of 94,253 at the 2006 census. The postal code A postal code (also known locally in variou ...

Pategi Pategi or Patigi is a town and Local government in Kwara State, Nigeria with the headquarters located at the town. The town is the headquarters of Pategi Emirate. It is inhabited by the Nupe people who also exhibit a linguistic repertoire of the ...

Governor of Kwara State

The current governor of Kwara State is Governor

Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (born 5 February 1960) is a Nigerian politician, who has served as governor of Kwara State since 2019. He was previously the CEO of First Fuels Limited. He contested unsuccessfully for the governor of Kwara State in 2003, ...

, who emerged victorious in the March 9, 2019's governorship election, with the political party APC. AbdulRahman AbdulRazak was sworn in on May 29, 2019, making him the 4th democratic governor of Kwara state and the 20th governor of Kwara state overall.Kayode Alabi is serving as the deputy governor of Kwara state under AbdulRahman's administration.

Education

Kwara state has a federal

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, the

University of Ilorin University of Ilorin, also known as Unilorin, is a federal government-owned university in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. It was established by a decree of the federal military government in August, 1975. The establishment aimed to implement one o ...

, a state university, Kwara State University and seven other privately owned Universities:

Al-Hikmah University Al-Hikmah University is an Islamic university located in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. It was founded in 2005 by AbdulRaheem Oladimeji Islamic Foundation (AROIF) based in Nigeria and World Assembly of Muslim Youths (WAMY) based in Jeddah. Profes ...

, Landmark University, Summit University, Crown Hill University, Thomas Adewumi University, Ahman Pategi University and University of Offa. Kwara state also has five approved polytechnics; a federal polytechnics, Federal Polytechnic Offa, a state owned polytechnics,

Kwara State Polytechnic Kwara State Polytechnic is a Nigerian tertiary institution that was established in 1973 by the then Military Governor of Kwara State Col. David Bamigboye after the decision of establishing a polytechnic in Kwara State was announced in 1971. It is ...

and three privately owned: The Polytechnic Igbo Owu, Lens Polytechnic and Graceland Polytechnic. Of the fifteen Colleges of Education in Kwara state, eleven are owned by private establishments: College of Education Ilemona, Muhyideen College of Education, Kinsey College of Education, Ilorin, Kwara State, Moje College of Education, Erin-Ile, Imam Hamzat College of Education, ECWA College of Education, College of Education Offa, Nana Aisha College of Education, Adesina College of Education and Pan African College of Education. Four colleges of education in Kwara state are funded by the star government: Kwara State College of Education Ilorin, College of Education Oro, Kwara State College of Education (Technical) Lafiagi and one federal government's institution offering NCE, the Nigeria Army School of Education. There is also a navy school, Nigerian Navy School of Health Science, Irra Road, Offa and an aviation college,

International Aviation College, Ilorin International Aviation College, Ilorin is an aviation training school in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. The college was established in 2011 by the Kwara State Government through a public private partnership with an aviation consult. The college i ...

Tourism

Important

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

attractions in Kwara state include Esie Museum,

Owu waterfalls Owu Waterfall is a waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. ...

, one of the highest and most spectacular waterfalls in west Africa. Imoleboja Rock Shelter, Ogunjokoro, Kainji Lake National Parks, now in Niger state and Agbonna Hill-- Awon Mass Wedding in Shao. There is also Sobi Hill amongst other, which is the largest landform in Ilorin, the state capital. A huge

natural reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

also divides the state into East and West. Ero Omola waterfall is also tourist attractions

Transport

The

Nigerian Railway Corporation Nigerian Railway Corporation (commonly abbreviated as NRC) is the state-owned enterprise with exclusive rights to operate railways in Nigeria. History and legislative background The Nigerian Railway Corporation traces its history to the year ...

extends services from

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

through the state to the northern part of the country.

Ilorin Airport Ilorin International Airport is an airport serving Ilorin, a city in Kwara State of Nigeria. Airlines and destinations Accidents and incidents In May 2019, a Diamond DA42 Twin Star light aircraft, registration number 5N-BNH, belly landed o ...

is a major center for both domestic and international flights and has now been built up into a hub for transportation of

cargoes ''Salt-Water Poems and Ballads'' is a book of poetry on themes of seafaring and maritime history by John Masefield. It was first published in 1916 by Macmillan Publishers, Macmillan, with illustrations by Charles Pears. Many of the poems had b ...

Economy

Agriculture is the main source of the state's economy and the principal cash crops are:

, Kolanut,

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, beniseed and palm produce. Kwara state is home to Shonga Farms, a product of the Back-to-Farm project of one of the past administrators of the state, Dr.

Abubakar Bukola Saraki Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, (born on 19 December 1962) is a Nigerian politician. He was the 13th President of the Senate of Nigeria from 2015 to 2019 and Chair of the 8th Nigeria National Assembly. He wa ...

. Shonga Farms is made up of 13 commercial farmers.

Mineral resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. O ...

in the state are Petroleum,

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

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 ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

feldspar Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagioclase'' (sodium-calcium) feldsp ...

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

kaolin Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral ...

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...

and granite rocks.

Infrastructure

*Hygiene and Sanitation The government of Nigeria is increasingly aware of problems emanating from poor environmental sanitation, and Kwara state is working on improving its environment and sanitation. On September 22, 2020, Kwara state governor officially commenced the 'Clean Kwara' Campaign to end open defecation and promote good

hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

in the state. The state government is working to fix all the roads and waterways to ensure free water flow, putting in efforts to ensure water sanitation, building

toilets A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human urine and feces, and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be designed for a sitting position popul ...

and making clean water accessible. This is also to promote

Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...

3 & 6 (general access to safe and affordable drinking water and access to adequate and equitable sanitation, hygiene for all, and end

open defecation Open defecation is the human practice of defecating outdoors ("in the open") rather than into a toilet. People may choose fields, bushes, forests, ditches, streets, canals, or other open spaces for defecation. They do so either because they do ...

by 2030)

Sports

Sporting activities are managed by the State Sports Council. The importance attached to sports led to the construction of a

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

, named-- Kwara State Stadium Complex. The facilities available at the stadium complex are mainbowl, indoor sports hall, hostel, recreational press center as well as an Olympic size swimming pool. The state is actively represented both in football and basketball. The state is the home to the Kwara United Football Club,

ABS FC Abubakar Bukola Saraki FC is a Nigerian association football club from Ilorin, Nigeria. They were promoted to the Nigeria Premier League at the end of the 2009–10 season. They played their debut season's home games in Offa and Bauchi while ...

and Kwara Falcons Basketball Club.

Notable people

* AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, politician *

Bukola Saraki Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, (born on 19 December 1962) is a Nigerian politician. He was the 13th President of the Senate of Nigeria from 2015 to 2019 and Chair of the 8th Nigeria National Assembly. He was ...

, politician * David Abioye, cleric *

Cornelius Adebayo Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo is a former Senator of Nigeria, who became a state governor, and later was head of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Communications. Background Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo was born on February 24, 1941 in Igbaja in Kwa ...

, politician *

Femi Adebayo Femi Adebayo Salami (born 31 December 1978) is a Nigerian film director, film actor, lawyer, producer and Special Adviser to the Governor of Kwara State on Arts, Culture and Tourism. He is the son of the veteran actor Adebayo Salami. Early ...

, actor and film producer *

Tunde Adebimpe Babatunde Omoroga Adebimpe (born February 26, 1975) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, actor, director, and visual artist best known as the lead singer of the Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio. Early life Adebimpe was born into a Nig ...

, musician *

Kemi Adesoye Kemi Adesoye is a Nigerian screen writer, best known for writing the critically acclaimed film '' The Figurine''. She has also written several episodes of the television series ''Tinsel''. Early life and education Adesoye, a descent of Kwara, wa ...

, screenwriter *

Abdulfatah Ahmed Abdulfatah Ahmed (born 29 December 1963) is a Nigerian banker and politician. He is the former Governor of Kwara State. Background Ahmed was born on 29 December 1963 in Share, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. He attended Gove ...

, banker and politician * Simon Ajibola, politician * Mustapha Akanbi, lawyer *

Sheik Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory (1917-1992) was a Nigerian Islamic scholar. He was born into the family of Abdul Baqi al-Ilory in ilorin, who was the son of Abdullah. A Maliki scholar and the author of several books in the Arabic language, he was a Sufi ...

, Islamic scholar *

Sarah Alade Sarah Alade was the acting governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria during the suspension of Lamido Sanusi until his tenure ended. She was appointed to the post by President Goodluck Jonathan on 20 February 2014. Alade was appointed acting gover ...

, former CBN governor *

Lola Ashiru Oyelola Yisa Ashiru (born 14 June 1955) is a Nigerian architect and politician, who was elected as a senator to represent Kwara South Senatorial District in the 9th Senate. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Capital Projects Limited, a real e ...

, architect and politician *

Adamu Atta Alhaji Adamu Atta (October 18, 1927 – May 1, 2014) was the first civilian governor of the Nigerian Kwara State during the Second Republic, representing the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). Background Adamu Atta belonged to Indigenous peoples ...

, politician *

Kunle Afolayan Kunle Afolayan (born 30 September 1975) is a Nigerian actor, producer and director. He is widely credited for elevating the quality of Nollywood movies though larger budgets, shooting on 35mm, releasing in cinemas, and improving cliché Nollywo ...

, actor, film director and producer * Ayeloyun, musician *

Joseph Ayo Babalola Joseph Ayo Babalola (25 April 1904 – 26 July 1959) was the first General Evangelist of the Christ Apostolic Church, popularly called CAC in Nigeria. He was credited with healing powers. Early life Babalola was born of Yoruba parents at Odo- ...

, cleric * David Bamigboye, soldier *

Theophilus Bamigboye Theophilus O Bamigboye (born 1951) is a retired Nigerian Colonel who served as Military Administrator of Bauchi State and then Osun State before the return to democracy in May 1999. He later entered politics, competing for governorship of Kwara ...

, soldier and politician * Salihu Modibbo Alfa Belgore, jurist and former Chief Justice of Nigeria *

Oga Bello Adebayo Salami popularly known by his stage name Oga Bello (born 9 May 1952), is a veteran Nigerian actor, filmmaker, film producer, and director. Family Adebayo is married with two wives and Eighteen children (9 sons and 9 daughters) Career ...

, actor and producer (real name Adebayo Salami) *

Ibrahim Gambari Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, (born 24 November 1944), is a Nigerian academic and diplomat who is currently serving as Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria. Early life and education Ibrahim Agboola Gambari was born on 24 November 1944 in Ilo ...

, diplomat *

Yusuf Gobir Yusuf Amuda Gobir (2 October 1934 – 28 December 1975) was a Nigerians, Nigerian Administrator of the government, administrator who worked his way up from state service to become a federal Permanent secretary, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry ...

, administrator *

Ola Ibrahim Ola Sa'ad Ibrahim (born 15 June 1955) is a retired Nigerian Navy admiral and former Chief of the Defence Staff of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Educated at Ahmadu Bello University (LLB) and King's College London (MA, War Studies), Ibrahim had h ...

, naval officer * Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim, politician *

Tunde Idiagbon Babatunde "Tunde" Abdulbaki Idiagbon (14 September 1943 – 24 March 1999) was a Nigerian general who served as the 6th Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters (second-in-command) under military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari from 198 ...

, soldier * Ahmed Mohammed Inuwa, politician * Joana Nnazua Kolo, Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development *

Farooq Kperogi Farooq Adamu Kperogi (born 1973), is a Nigerian-American professor, author, media scholar, newspaper columnist, blogger and activist. He was a reporter and news editor at many Nigerian newspapers including the ''Daily Trust'', ''Daily Triumph'' an ...

, journalist *

Mohammed Shaaba Lafiagi Sha'aba Lafiagi was elected governor of Kwara State in January 1992 on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platform, and was removed from office by the administration of General Sani Abacha in November 1993. As governor he initiated construction ...

, politician * Lágbájá, musician *

Salaudeen Latinwo Salaudeen Adebola Latinwo (born 1943) is a retired group captain in the Nigerian Air Force and a former military governor of Kwara State, Nigeria, under Muhammadu Buhari's military government. Latinwo was part of the pioneering sets of officer ...

, soldier *

Mohammed Lawal Mohammed Alabi Lawal (24 January 1946 – 15 November 2006) was a Nigerian naval officer who was military governor of Ogun State between December 1987 and August 1990 during the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida. He was one of ...

, naval officer *

Lai Mohammed Layiwola "Lai" Mohammed (born 6 December 1951) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician. He is currently the Minister of Information and Culture, a position he has held since November 2015. He is also the former National publicity secretary of the ...

, lawyer and politician *

Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe is a Nigerian medical doctor, politician and philanthropist. Oloriegbe graduated with MBBS degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria in 1985. He attended training programmes in Change Management, Advocacy, Faci ...

, politician * Abdulkadir Orire, first Grand Khadi of the Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal *

David Oyedepo David Olaniyi Oyedepo (born 27 September 1954) is a Nigerian preacher, Christian author, businessman, architect and the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, and presiding Bishop of the Faith Tabernacle in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. T ...

, cleric *

Wasiu Alabi Pasuma Wasiu Alabi Odetola (Pasuma) (born 27 November 1967), also known as "Oganla", "Gauzu Fuji", "Ijoba Fuji" is a Fuji musician, Nigerian film actor. Early life He was born on the 27th of November 1967. Spent his childhood and a small part of ...

, musician *

Gbemisola Ruqayyah Saraki Gbemisola Ruqayyah Saraki (born 3 May 1965) is a Nigerian politician who has served as the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development of Nigeria since 6 July 2022. She served earlier as the Minister of State for Transportation from 2019 t ...

, politician *

Olusola Saraki Olusola Abubakar Saraki (17 May 1933 – 14 November 2012) was a Nigerian politician, who was a Senator in the Nigerian Second Republic (1979–1983). He was the holder of the chieftaincy title of the Waziri of the Ilorin Emirate, and belonged to ...

, politician *

Toyin Saraki Toyin Ojora-Saraki LLB, LLM, BL, (born 6 September 1964) is a global health advocate, healthcare philanthropist and the Founder-President of Wellbeing Foundation Africa. Early life and education Toyin Saraki was born into the Ojora and Adele roy ...

, healthcare philanthropist * Abdulfatai Yahaya Seriki, politician * AbdulRazzaq Ibrahim Salman, cleric * Bola Shagaya, businessman * Tony Tetuila, musician * Rashidi Yekini, soccer player * Abimbola Abolarinwa, urologist

References

{{Portal bar, Nigeria States of Nigeria States in Yorubaland States and territories established in 1967

History

Climate

Population

Languages

Local Government Areas

Governor of Kwara State

Education

Tourism

Transport

Economy

Infrastructure

Sports

Notable people

See also

References