Kwara State
Kwara 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 international border with Benin. Its capital is the city of Ilorin and the state has 16 local government areas.
Of the 36 states of Nigeria, Kwara is the ninth largest in area but the sixth least populous with an estimated population of about 3.2 million as of 2016. Geographically, Kwara is split between the West Sudanian savanna in the east and the Guinean forest–savanna mosaic ecoregion in the rest of the state. Important geographic features include rivers with the Niger flowing along the northern border into Lake Jebba 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, a large national park that contains populations of grey heron, kob, hippopotamus, African bush elephant, olive baboon, and roan antelope, along with some of the last remaining West African lions on earth. In the far southwest, a small part of the Old Oyo National Park contains crowned eagle, martial eagle, African buffalo, oribi, and patas monkey populations.
Kwara State has been inhabited for ages by various ethnic groups, primarily the majority Yoruba people that live throughout the state. There are also sizable minorities of Nupe people in the northeast, Bariba and Busa peoples in the west, and Fulani people in Ilorin and moving through the state as nomadic herders.
In the pre-colonial period, the majority of the area that is now Kwara state was part of the Oyo Empire, with part of the western portions in the Borgu Kingdoms peopled by the Bariba, Boko and Bissa people, and Nupe Kingdom. In the mid-1800s, the Fulani jihad annexed some part of what is now the state of Kwara and placed the area under the Gwandu sphere of the Sokoto Caliphate. In the 1890s and 1900s, British expeditions occupied the area and incorporated it into the Northern Nigeria Protectorate. The Northern Nigeria Protectorate later merged into British Nigeria in 1914, before becoming part of independent Nigeria 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 and its far northwest Borgu division was annexed into the Borgu division of Niger state.
Economically, Kwara state is largely based around agriculture, mainly of coffee, cotton, groundnut, cocoa, oil palm, and kola nut crops. Other key industries are services, especially in the city of Ilorin, and the livestock herding and ranching of cattle, goats, and sheep. Kwara state has the joint-twentieth highest Human Development Index 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 broke the four regions that then constituted the Federation of Nigeria into 12 states. At its creation, the state was made up of the former Ilorin and Kabba 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, in the Hausa language.Kwara state has since 1976 reduced considerably in size due to further state creation exercises in Nigeria. On 13 February 1976, the Idah/Dekina part of the state was carved out and merged with a part of the then Benue/Plateau state, to form Benue state.
On 27 August 1991, five Local Government areas, namely Oyi, , Okene, Okehi and Kogi were also excised to form part of the new Kogi state, while a sixth, Borgu Local Government Area, was merged with Niger state. The major populated local governments are Ilorin and Offa.
Kwara state has numerous mineral resources such as tourmaline, tantalite, and many mineral deposits in the northern part. Cocoa and Kolanut in the Southern parts Oke - Ero, Ekiti and Isin LGA.
Population
As of 2006, the population of Kwarans was 2.37 million, based on the Nigerian 2006 Census. This population size constitutes about 1.69% of the nation's total population having relied upon immigration for population growth and socio-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
Languages of Kwara State listed by LGA:| LGA | Languages |
| Asa | Yoruba |
| Baruten | Baatonum |
| Edu | Nupe |
| Ekiti | Yoruba |
| Ifelodun | Yoruba |
| Ilorin East | Yoruba |
| Ilorin South | Yoruba |
| Ilorin West | Yoruba |
| Isin | Yoruba |
| Irepodun | Yoruba |
| Kaiama | Bokobaru |
| Moro | Yoruba |
| Offa | Yoruba |
| Oke Ero | Yoruba |
| Oyun | Yoruba |
| Pategi | Nupe |
Other languages spoken in Kwara State include Busa, Fula, Boko, and Sorko.
Local Government Areas
Kwara State consists of sixteen Local Government Areas. They are:- Asa
- Baruten
- Edu
- Ekiti
- Ifelodun
- Ilorin East
- Ilorin South
- Ilorin West
- Irepodun
- Isin
- Kaiama
- Moro
- Offa
- Oke Ero
- Oyun
- Pategi
Politics
Education
Kwara State has a federal university, the University of Ilorin, a state university, Kwara State University, and seven other privately owned Universities: Al-Hikmah University, Landmark University, Summit University, Offa , , Ahman Pategi University and 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, Offa 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 state government: Kwara State College of Education Ilorin, College of Education Oro, Kwara State College of Education 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.Healthcare
Kwara State has many hospitals and medical health cares; these include:- Kwara State University Teaching Hospital
- University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital
- Life Line Hospital
- Lifefount Hospital
- Yusjib Medicare Centre
- Balm Hospital
- Sadiku Hospital
- Kwara State Civil Service Hospital
- Sobi Specialist Hospital
- Anchormed Hospital
- Mimtaz Hospital
- Asa Dam Hospital
Tourism
Climate
Located at an elevation of 286.86 meters above sea level, Kwara has a Tropical wet and dry or savanna climate. The city's yearly temperature is 29.54 °C and it is 0.08% higher than Nigeria's averages. Kwara typically receives about 101.45 millimeters of precipitation and has 148.38 rainy days 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.
| Month | Day | Night | Rain Days |
| January | 36 °C | 21 °C | 1 |
| February | 38 °C | 23 °C | 1 |
| March | 38 °C | 24 °C | 4 |
| April | 36 °C | 25 °C | 9 |
| May | 34 °C | 24 °C | 15 |
| June | 31 °C | 23 °C | 17 |
| July | 29 °C | 22 °C | 18 |
| August | 28 °C | 22 °C | 18 |
| September | 29 °C | 22 °C | 20 |
| October | 31 °C | 23 °C | 15 |
| November | 35 °C | 23 °C | 1 |
| December | 36 °C | 21 °C | 0 |