There are 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kwara State. In this post you’ll discover the names of all those Local Government Areas.

Kwara State is located in the north-central part of Nigeria, and its capital is located in the city of Ilorin, which is also one of the biggest commercial centers in the state.

Here are the 16 Local Government Areas in Kwara State:

1. Asa

2. Baruten

3. Edu

4. Ekiti

5. Ifelodun

6. Ilorin East

7. Ilorin South

8. Ilorin West

9. Irepodun

10. Isin

11. Kaiama

12. Moro

13. Offa

14. Oke Ero

15. Oyun

16. Patigi


There Are Four Major Ethnic Groups In Kwara State

Yoruba

The Yoruba ethnic group is one of the major ethnic group in Kwara. Though these said Yorubas are part of the Igbomina Yoruba – a sub-ethnic group among the Yoruba ethnic. They are the major occupants of the Kwara South region. Inasmuch as they are a sub-ethnic group of the entire Yoruba ethnic, they have similarities with other Yorubas in the southwest.

Being one of the major ethnics in Kwara state, it is not uncommon to hear people speak the language. In fact, it is the main language spoken in Ilorin, the city’s capital. This does not mean it is only the Yoruba’s that occupy Ilorin. What is, however, common among the Yorubas in Ilorin is the way they end every sentence with ‘fa’.

The Ilorin Yorubas are often not regarded as pure Igbomina Yorubas. There are often claims by the Igbomina that they are more of a pure Yoruba people than the Ilorin Yoruba. Parts of Kwara State that are core settlements of Igbomina Yoruba include Omu-Aran, Oro, Ajasse, Illofa, Oke-Onigbin, Offa etc.

Other traces of Yorubas in the state include the towns that are closer to Osun state and Ekiti State. For instance, Oyun LGA is closer to Osun and the people speak more of the Osogbo dialect. Another example is the Ekiti LGA where the Ekiti State dialect is predominantly spoken.

Nupe

The Nupes are another major ethnic group in Kwara state. They are the main occupants of the northern part of Kwara State. The LGAs in which they occupy include Edu, Pategi and some areas of Moro, Kaiama and Ifelodun. It is not unusual for people to always confuse the Nupes for Hausas or Fulanis. This is often due to the shared similarities like religion and quiet nature.

Fulani

The Fulani group are another major ethnic group in Kwara State. They are arguably the largest ethnic group in the state. Though one might argue that the Yorubas are more. One thing that might make it hard to ascertain is that most of the Fulanis speak Yoruba too.

Though the entire Kwara State comprises of mix ethnic groups, most of them are of Fulani descent. Inasmuch as most of the Fulanis speak Yoruba, there are some core Fulanis in Ilorin.

Bariba

The Bariba ethnic group are considered the minority of the four ethnic groups. They are mainly found in the Benin Republic. However, they occupy the Kaiama and Baruten LGAs. The Bariba people are primarily Muslims and are often mistaken for Hausa, Fulani or Nupe.

The individual local government areas can further be categorized into zones:

Kwara North Senatorial District

Baruten

Edu

Pategi

Kaiama

Moro

Kwara Central Senatorial District

Asa

Ilorin East

Ilorin South

Ilorin West

Offa

Kwara South Senatorial District

Ekiti

Oke-Ero

Ifelodun

Irepodun

Isin

Oyun