Kwara State
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kwara State State nickname: State of Harmony |
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| Location | ||
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| Statistics | ||
| Governor (List) |
Bukola Saraki (PDP) | |
| Date Created | 27 May 1967 | |
| Capital | Ilorin | |
| Area | 36,825 km² Ranked 9th |
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| Population 1991 Census 2005 estimate |
Ranked 31st 1,566,469 2,591,555 |
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| ISO 3166-2 | NG-KW | |
Kwara State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Ilorin and its governor is Bukola Saraki.
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[edit] 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. The capital of the state is Ilorin, which lies 306km northeast of Lagos and 500km southwest of Abuja.
Kwara State has since 1976 reduced considerably in size as a result of further state creation exercises in Nigeria. On February 13, 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 August 27, 1991, five local government areas, namely Oyi, Yagba, 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.
[edit] Local Government Areas
There are sixteen Local Government Areas in the state. They are:
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[edit] Tourism
Important tourist attractions in Kwara State include Esie Museum, Owu Falls, Imoleboja Rock Shelter, Ogunjokoro, Kanji Lake National Parks among other attractions.
[edit] Transport
The Nigerian Railway Corporation extends services from Lagos through the state to the northern part of the country. The Ilorin Airport is a major center both for domestic and international flights and as now been built up into a hub for transportation of cargoes.
[edit] Agriculture
Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and the principal cash crops are cotton, cocoa, coffee, kolanuts, tobacco leaves, beniseed and palm produce. Agricultural institutes located in the State are the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute, (ARMTI). National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization and Niger River Basin Development Authority, all located in Ilorin. The Agricultural Research Project of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife at Balla provides farmers with vital information on modern agricultural techniques. The Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Agricultural Development Project (ADP) provide both the infrastructural and storage facilities. Among these are seed multiplication, model farms, land development and inputs distribution. All these have helped to improve and boost agricultural production and services in the state.
[edit] Education
The state has two universities, two polytechnics, three colleges of education and many secondary schools
[edit] Sports
Sporting activities are managed by the State Sports Council. The importance attached to sports led to the construction of a 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.
[edit] People from Kwara State
Notable People from Kwara State include:
- Sulu Gambari, Emir of Ilorin
- Adeyeye Fagbemi, Onijagbo of Ijagbo
- Olusola Saraki, Olofa of Ofa
- Ibrahim Gambari, diplomat
- Bukola Saraki, politician
- Tony Tetuila, musician
- Pasuma Alabi, musician
- Bishop Oyedepo, Living Faith Church
- C. O. Adebayo, politician
- Samuel Adedoyin, Doyin Group & Co.
[edit] External links
- Kwara State Government homepage
- Kwara State Association of Nigeria North America
- News from Kwara State
- Ilorin homepage
- Omu-Aran homepage
- Kwara State Agricultural Project homepage
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