Ilorin

Aerial view of Ilorin in 1929

Ilorin was founded by the Yoruba, one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, in 1450. It became a provincial military headquarters of the ancient Oyo Empire, and later became a Northern Nigeria protectorate when Shehu Alimi, an itinerant Islamic preacher and teacher, took control of the city through the spread of Islam. The capital was occupied by the Royal Niger Company in 1897 and its lands were incorporated into the British colony of Northern Nigeria in 1900, although the emirate continued to perform ceremonial functions.[4] The city retains a strong Islamic influence, although Christianity is now widely practised in the cosmopolitan part of the city due to the significant immigration of people from other parts of Kwara State and the rest of Nigeria.

Ilorin has an 18,000-capacity stadium and two professional football teams; Kwara United F. C. playing in the top tier league of Nigeria Professional Football League (N.P.F.L) which is run by the League Management Company; and ABS F.C. in the second division which is Bet9ja Nigeria National league.

The city has the only standard baseball field in West Africa. It has also hosted several national handball competitions.[5]

Shoppers at the Palms Mall in Ilorin

The political economy of Kwara State can be traced to 1967 when it was created. Since then the state has undergone various developmental efforts, mostly initiated by the federal government given the nature of the Nigerian state, a centralized federal system where development policies and programmes originate from the centre.[6] The state has a large area of rich agricultural land. The limestone and dolomite of Oreke, kaolin and clay at Idofian near Ilorin and other parts of the state, pure gold in Kaiama and the Patigi area, and the highly exportable rich tantalite deposit of Iporin make Kwara State rich in primary resources.

Initially, Kwara State had only a few major industrial companies, Global Soap (not more in operation), Detergent Industries Nigeria Limited and the International Tobacco Company. Successive administrations have attempted to attract industrialists to the state.

With such efforts, Ilorin has become the hub for cashew processing in Nigeria and Olam International has set up Africa's biggest cashew processing plant. The plant processes 100 MT of cashews every day and provides employment to over 2000 workers.

Recently established industries include Dangote Flour Mills, Tuyil Pharmaceutical company,[7] KAMWIL, Golden Confectionate Food Industries, Chellaram Motor-Cycle Assembly plants, and Rajrab Pharmaceuticals.

Ilorin has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw).

Post Office Route

Construction of a Split Diamond Underpass in Ilorin

Traffic warden in Ilorin city, Kwara State

Ilorin Train Station, Kwara state

Ilorin operates a relatively well-developed intra-city public transportation, and the major roads within the metropolis are very good.

There are three modes of transiting from place to place in the city – the most popular being the conventional taxis. Car-hire services are also available in major hotels. Furthermore, there are commercial motorbikes, commonly called "Okada", and the more recent arrival on Ilorin's roads of commercial tricycles, popularly called "Keke NAPEP" or "Keke", some of which are given on loan to beneficiaries of the National Poverty Eradication Programme. Ilorin taxis are painted yellow and green.

Ilorin's central location makes it easily accessible to all parts of the country by air, road and rail. The state has a good network of roads, rail and air transportation facilities linking it with Nigeria's other industrial and commercial centres. Transportation is quite affordable in Ilorin with movement from one place to another for as low as fifty naira.

There are scheduled daily commercial flights to and from Ilorin International Airport by Arik Air and Overland Airways. The now defunct Capital Airlines also operated from Ilorin. Current destinations include all of the major cities in Nigeria. The airport has also been re-designed and equipped as an international cargo airport.

Ilorin offers reliable road transport services to Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti, Kogi, Niger, Kaduna and Plateau States. Similar services are available to and from Onitsha, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Aba and others.

A major expressway to Ibadan, numbered E1, is currently under construction by P.W. International.

The city also has a range of tourist attractions such as the Sobi Hill which is said to have offered protection to natives during intertribal wars in ancient times. The Okuta Ilorin is located in Asaju's compound, Idi-Ape Quarters. It is the stone on which Ojo Isekuse, one of the founders of the city, used to sharpen his metal tools. It was actually called "Okuta ilo irin" (meaning stone for sharpening metals). It is from this tool, the town Ilorin derived its name. The stone was a deified object of worship and sacrifice offerings in the past.

Pottery is a big business in Ilorin. The city has the biggest traditional pottery workshops in Nigeria. They are located in the Dada area of Okelele, Eletu in Oju-Ekun, Okekura, Oloje, Abe Emi and Ita Merin.

The traditional textile industry also thrives in Ilorin. In various parts of the city, aso-oke, textiles hand-woven on simple looms, are made in large quantities. Aso-oke is purchased by traders and fashion designers from Kwara State, other parts of Nigeria and abroad.

The cultural center houses the Kwara State Council for Arts and Culture, its performing troupe, and a gallery with artworks and antiquities. Souvenirs of cultural and historical values are also available.

Metropolitan Park, a recreational park, is located on Unity Road. The Kwara State Stadium Complex has an Olympic-sized swimming pool with facilities for diving. A purpose-built baseball park is located in the Adewole area of the city.

The National Commission for Museum and Monuments has one of its centers in Ilorin, with interesting cultural and ethnographic objects from Nigeria's many cultures. The Esie Museum is of major note.

Ilorin is home to two universities; the University of Ilorin and Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin; it also has Kwara State University within its metropolitan area.

It is also home to the following educational institutions:

• Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin
• Federal Government College, Ilorin
• IQRA College, Ilorin
• Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin
• Muhyideen College of Education, Ilorin
• Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies, Ilorin
• United Missionary Theological Seminary.
• School of Nursing and Midwifery
• National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization
• Agriculture and Rural Management Training Institute
• Michael Imoudu Institute for Labour Studies
• Federal Training Center
• Government Secondary School, Ilorin Founded in 1914
• Bishop Smith Memorial College
• Ansarul Islam Secondary School, Ilorin
• Mount Carmel College, Ilorin
• Ilorin Grammar School, Ilorin
• Unilorin Secondary School
• Emmanuel Baptist College
• Government Secondary School, Adeta, Ilorin
• Government Day Secondary School, Karuma, Ilorin
• Government Girls Day Secondary School
• Army Day Secondary School, Sobi Barrack, Ilorin
• Saint Anthony's Secondary School, Ilorin
• Cherubim and Seraphim College, Ilorin
• U.M.C.A Chapel Nursery and Primary School, Ilorin
• U.M.C.A High school, Ilorin
• Ideal Nursery and Primary School, Ilorin
• Saint Joseph's Primary school, Ilorin
• Socrates College, Ilorin

• Ilorin Emirate