Ilorin
Ilorin, a city in western Nigeria, serves as the traditional emirate and is the capital of Kwara state. Positioned along the Awun River, a minor tributary of the Niger, it was founded in the late 18th century by the Yoruba people. Originally part of the Oyo empire as a vassal state, Ilorin saw a rebellion in 1817 led by Kakanfo Afonja, Oyo’s commander, resulting in the dissolution of the empire’s unity.
Afonja, aided by Mallam Alimi, a Fulani from Sokoto, along with Fulani warriors, slaves, and Hausa slaves, became increasingly influenced by the Muslim Fulani. After Afonja’s assassination, Alimi’s son, Abd al-Salam, became the emir of Ilorin and pledged allegiance to the Sokoto caliphate around 1829. Under Abd al-Salam, Ilorin, now a Muslim emirate, expanded its influence, subjugating towns in Yorubaland and destroying the Oyo capital in 1837.
Throughout the 19th century, Ilorin played a pivotal role as a major trade centre between the northern Hausa and southern Yoruba regions. It resisted British rule until 1897 when the Royal Niger Company’s army, after conquering Bida, asserted British supremacy. In 1900, the Ilorin emirate became part of the Northern Nigeria Protectorate, later evolving into the Northern Province and then the Northern Region during the colonial period. Following the country’s administrative reorganization in 1967, Ilorin became part of West Central (later Kwara) state.
Today, modern Ilorin is predominantly inhabited by Muslim Yoruba people, despite its Yoruba-speaking Fulani emir. The city boasts an industrial, commercial, and educational landscape, surrounded by a historic central district featuring traditional mud houses, thatched roofs, mosques, and protective mud walls. Ilorin is a significant market for locally grown crops and livestock, and its growing industrial sector includes sugar refining, food processing, soft drink bottling, match and soap manufacturing, and ironworking. The city is home to the University of Ilorin, Kwara State Polytechnic, and other educational institutions, along with health services, including hospitals and a nursing home for the elderly. Ilorin is well-connected through railway and highway links, intersecting with the city, and has an international airport. As of the 2016 estimate, the urban agglomeration population is around 960,000.
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More about Ilorin from Wikipedia
| ID |
|---|
| 76946 |
| Name |
| Ilorin |
| State ID |
| 295 |
| State Code |
| KW |
| State Name |
| Kwara |
| Country ID |
| 161 |
| Country Code |
| NG |
| Country Name |
| Nigeria |
| Latitude |
| 8.49664000 |
| Longitude |
| 4.54214000 |
| WikiData ID |
| Q587085 |
