Ilorin
Ilorin is the capital city of Kwara State located in the Western region of Nigeria.
Although Ilorin is classified under the North-Central geopolitical zone, the city is considered a Yoruba city by all historical and sociological standards. As of the 2006 census, it had a population of 777,667, making it the 7th largest city by population in Nigeria.
Getting to Ilorin
The city of Ilorin serves as a gateway between the northern and southern part of Nigeria. You can fly in from other Nigerian cities (Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Kaduna). The Ilorin international airport is also used for domestic flights to other cities within the country and international flights to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah.
- 01Ilorin International Airport
Worth seeing
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).
- 01National Museum Ilorin
It has interesting cultural and ethnographic objects from Nigeria's many cultures.
- 02University of Ilorin
- 03Emir
- 04Tallest flagpole in west Africa
Unity Road,.
- 05Ilorin
Unity Road.
- 06Sobi
Sobi Rd.
Things to do
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.
Where to eat
Tanke Region. Ilorin is one of the best places you can't go around with an empty stomach because there are a lot of places to eat. Here are the few places to eat at Tanke.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: James Moore200 (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.