Jump to content

Kwara State: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 8°30′N 5°00′E / 8.500°N 5.000°E / 8.500; 5.000
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Undid revision 306876038 by Jeff G. (talk)
m Reverted edits by DIPLOMATICANGEL (talk) to last version by Jeff G.
Line 97: Line 97:
*Chief (Gen) D. L. Bamigboye..rtd, Asiwaju of Igbomina Land and First Governor of Kwara State
*Chief (Gen) D. L. Bamigboye..rtd, Asiwaju of Igbomina Land and First Governor of Kwara State
*Col. Theophilus O. Bamigboye (Rtd)
*Col. Theophilus O. Bamigboye (Rtd)
*Group Captain Salaudeen Latinwo(Rtd), former military governor of old Kwara State
*Admiral Abolarin (Rtd)
*Admiral Abolarin (Rtd)
*Chief Bisi Adeyemi, Akeweje of Omu-Aran
*Chief Bisi Adeyemi, Akeweje of Omu-Aran

Revision as of 21:15, 9 August 2009

Kwara State
State nickname: State of Harmony
Location
Location of Kwara State in Nigeria
Statistics
Governor
(List) 		Bukola Saraki (PDP)
Date Created 27 May 1967
Capital Ilorin
Area 36,825 km²
Ranked 9th
Population
1991 Census
2005 estimate 		Ranked 31st
1,566,469
2,591,555
GDP (PPP)
 -Total
 -Per Capita 		2007 (estimate)
$3.84 billion[1]
$1,585[1]
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. The primary ethnic group of Kwara State is Yoruba, with significant Nupe, Bariba and Fulani minorities.

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. Other notable towns include Offa, Oro-Ago, Omu-Aran and Igbaja

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/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, 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.

Local Government Areas

There are sixteen Local Government Areas in the state. They are:

Tourism

Drummers in Ojumo Oro, Kwara State.

Important tourist attractions in Kwara State include Esie Museum, Owu Falls, Imoleboja Rock Shelter, Ogunjokoro, Kanji Lake National Parks Agbonna Hill Share among other attractions.

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 for both domestic and international flights and has now been built up into a hub for transportation of cargoes.

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 boost agricultural production and services in the state.

Education

The state has two universities, two polytechnics, three colleges of education, school of Health technology and many secondary schools.

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.

People from Kwara State

Notable People from Kwara State include:

References

  1. ^ a b "C-GIDD (Canback Global Income Distribution Database)". Canback Dangel. Retrieved 2008-08-20.

8°30′N 5°00′E / 8.500°N 5.000°E / 8.500; 5.000

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kwara_State&oldid=307041964"