Kwara State

Kwara(Yoruba:Ìpínlẹ̀ Kwárà) is astatein WesternNigeria, bordered to the east byKogi State, to the north byNiger State, and to the south byEkiti,Osun, andOyostates, while its western border makes up part of theinternational borderwithBenin.Its capital is the city ofIlorinand the state has 16local government areas.
Of the 36states of Nigeria, Kwara is theninth largest in areabut thesixth least populouswith an estimated population of about 3.2 million as of 2016.Geographically, Kwara is split between theWest Sudanian savannain the east and theGuinean forest–savanna mosaicecoregionin the rest of the state. Important geographic features include rivers with theNigerflowing along the northern border intoLake Jebabefore continuing as the border while the Awun, Asa, Aluko, and Oyun rivers flow through the interior. In the far northwest of the state is theBorgu sectionof theKainji National Park, a largenational parkthat contains populations ofgrey heron,kob,hippopotamus,African bush elephant,olive baboon, androan antelope, along with some of the last remainingWest African lionson earth.In the far southwest, a small part of theOld Oyo National Parkcontainscrowned eagle,martial eagle,African buffalo,oribi, andpatas monkeypopulations.
Kwara State has been inhabited for ages by various ethnic groups, primarily the majorityYoruba peoplethat live throughout the state. There are also sizable minorities ofNupe peoplein the northeast,Bariba (Baatonu)andBusa (Bokobaru)peoples in the west, andFulanipeople inIlorinand moving through the state as nomadicherders.
In the pre-colonial period, the majority of the area that is now Kwara state was part of theOyo Empire, with part of the western portions in theBorgu Kingdomspeopled by the Bariba,Bokoand Bissa people, andNupe Kingdom(1531–1835). In the mid-1800s, theFulani jihadannexed some part of what is now the state of Kwara and placed the area under the Gwandu sphere of theSokoto Caliphate. In the 1890s and 1900s, British expeditions occupied the area and incorporated it into theNorthern Nigeria Protectorate. TheNorthernNigeria Protectorate later merged intoBritish Nigeriain 1914, before becoming part of independentNigeriain 1960. Originally, the modern-day Kwara state was a part of the post-independenceNorthern Regionuntil 1967, when the region was split and the area became theWest 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 ofKogi stateand its far northwest Borgu division was annexed into the Borgu division ofNiger state.
Economically, Kwara state is largely based aroundagriculture, mainly ofcoffee,cotton,groundnut,cocoa,oil palm, andkola nutcrops. Other key industries are services, especially in the city ofIlorin, and thelivestock herdingandranchingofcattle,goats, andsheep. Kwara state has thejoint-twentieth highestHuman Development Indexin the country and numerous institutions of tertiary education.
Kwara State was created on 27 May 1967,when the Federal Military Government of GeneralYakubu Gowonbroke the four regions that then constituted theFederation of Nigeriainto 12 states. At its creation, the state was made up of the formerIlorinandKabbaprovinces of the thenNorthern Regionand was initially named the West Central State but later changed to "Kwara", a local name for theRiver Niger, in theHausa language.
Kwara state has since 1976 reduced considerably in size due to further state creation exercises in Nigeria. On 13 February 1976, theIdah/Dekinapart of the state was carved out and merged with a part of the thenBenue/Plateau state, to formBenue state.
On 27 August 1991, fiveLocal Governmentareas, namelyOyi,Yagba,Okene,OkehiandKogiwere also excised to form part of the newKogi state, while a sixth,Borgu Local Government Area, was merged withNiger state.The major populated local governments areIlorinandOffa.
Kwara state has numerous mineral resources such astourmaline,tantalite, and many mineral deposits in the northern part.CocoaandKolanutin the Southern partsOke - Ero,EkitiandIsin LGA.
As of 2006, thepopulationof Kwarans was 2.37 million, based on the Nigerian2006 Census.This population size constitutes about 1.69% of the nation's total population having relied uponimmigrationfor population growth andsocio-economic development.The principal ethnic groups are Yoruba, Nupe, Fulani, and Baruba.The population estimate of Kwara State, as at July 2024, is put at 3,390,330.
Residents of the state are referred to as Kwarans.
Languages of Kwara State listed by LGA:
Other languages spoken in Kwara State includeBusa,Boko, andSorko.
Kwara State consists of sixteenLocal Government Areas.They are:
Like every other state in Nigeria, Kwara State has had a mix of civilian and military Governors. The first Governor of Kwara state wasDavid Bamigboye. The current governor of Kwara State is GovernorAbdulrazaq Abdulrahman, who emerged victorious in the9 March 2019 governorship election, under theAPC. Abdulrahman Abdulrazak was sworn in on 29 May 2019, making him the 4th democratic governor of Kwara State and the 20th governor of Kwara State overall. Kayode Alabi is the deputy governor of Kwara state under AbdulRahman's administration.On March 19, 2023, Abdulrazak won re-electionand will remain governor until 2027 when he will be constitutionally ineligible to re-contest for a third term in office.
Kwara State has a federaluniversity, theUniversity of Ilorin, a state university,Kwara State University, and seven other privately owned Universities:Al-Hikmah University,Landmark University,Summit University, OffaCrown Hill University,Thomas Adewumi University,Ahman Pategi Universityand University of Offa.Kwara state also has five approved polytechnics; a federal polytechnic,Federal Polytechnic Offa, a state-owned polytechnic,Kwara State Polytechnic, and three privately owned: The Polytechnic Igbo Owu,Lens Polytechnic, Offaand 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.
Kwara State has manyhospitalsand medical health cares; these include:
Importanttouristattractions in Kwara state includeEsie Museum,Owu waterfalls, one of the highest and most spectacular waterfalls in West Africa.Imoleboja Rock Shelter, Ogunjokoro,Kainji Lake National Parks, now inNiger state, and Agbonna Hill—Awon Mass Wedding in Shao. There is also Sobi Hill amongst others, which is the largest landform in Ilorin, the state capital.A hugenatural reservealso divides the state into East and West. Ero Omola waterfall is also a tourist attraction
Located at anelevationof 286.86 meters (941.14 feet) above sea level, Kwara has aTropical wet and dry or savanna climate(Classification: Aw). The city's yearlytemperatureis 29.54 °C (85.17 °F) and it is 0.08% higher than Nigeria's averages. Kwara typically receives about 101.45 millimeters (3.99 inches) ofprecipitationand has 148.38 rainy days (40.65% of the time) annually.It is located at 4.3874051 longitude and 8.9668961 latitude.
The table below has data for the whole year as an average taken from last 12+ years of historical data for Ilorin.
According to reports, a boat capsized and broke in two on 12 June 2023, in the Niger River close to Pategi, in Kwara State, Nigeria. The guests on the boat were originally arriving on motorcycles, but the intense rain left them stranded. It was confirmed that at least 108 people have died and many are absent.
On 25 October 2023, a tree fall killed two people and injured at least five.
On 2 February 2024, Ejire Adeyemi Toun, the traditional ruler was assassinated in his palace, and his wife was kidnapped.
TheNigerian Railway Corporationextends its services fromLagosthrough the state to the northern part of the country.Ilorin Airportis a major center for both domestic and international flights and has now been built up into a hub for transportation ofcargoes.
Agriculture is the main source of the state's economy and the principal cash crops are:cotton,cocoa,coffee,kola nut,tobacco,sesameand palm produce. Kwara state is home toShonga Farms, a product of the Back-to-Farm project of one of the past administrators of the state, Dr.Abubakar Bukola Saraki. Shonga Farms is made up of 13 commercial farmers.Mineral resourcesin the state are Petroleum,Gold,limestone,marble,feldspar,clay,kaolin,quartzandgranite rocks,
and laterite found majorly in omuaran.
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 22 September 2020, the Kwara state governor officially commenced the 'Clean Kwara' Campaign to end open defecation and promote goodhygienein the state.The state government is working to fix all the roads and waterways to ensure free water flow,putting in efforts to ensurewater sanitation,buildingtoilets, and making clean water accessible.This is also to promoteSustainable Development Goals3 & 6 (general access to safe and affordable drinking water and access to adequate and equitable sanitation, hygiene for all, and endopen defecationby 2030)
Sporting activities are managed by the Kwara State Sports Commission.The importance attached to sports led to the construction of a stadium, named—Kwara State StadiumComplex. The facilities available at the stadium complex are the 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 theKwara United Football Club,ABS FCandKwara Falcons Basketball Club.