Kwara state

Facts: Kwara state is close to Osun state, as well as Jebba. It comprises of several ethnic groups, including Yoruba. Its capital is Ilorin, and the present governor is Governor Bukola Saraki. The spoken languages in the state include English, Yoruba, Labari, Batonun and Nupe/Tapa.
Experience: I went to Ilorin to visit my cousin for her birthday, and spent about five hours on the road from Lagos. We passed through Oyo state, and Osun state, through the following towns and cities, (in no particular order) Ogbomoso (Osun state), Ibadan (Oyo), Iwo, and parts of Ogun state.
There were several towns and quaint villages along the way, and as it was a regular route for transporters, the people were ready to offer several products for sale. Many items like yam tubers, large snails, freshly plucked tomatoes and pepper, ripe banana and plantain bunches, dodo ikire (fried plantain coated in fried pepper stew - really delicious!), fried beancakes (akara), roasted yam slices, and other by products from the farm. Processed products were also offered, like Gala (beef rolls), plantain chips and other packaged products.

To get to Ilorin, I boarded an old peugoet 505 station wagon that took only six passengers. Fortunately for this blog, unfortunately for my body, the car did not have any shock absorbers, so I had a really bump ride to Ilorin, made worse by the fact that by the time we got to our destination, I wanted to ease myself so badly that I didn't even argue with the driver and just found a place to sit while I called my cousin to pick me up.

Ilorin is a beautiful place. Almost all the roads are dualized and there are several sites to visit. There are several lodges, hotels, and motels, but the crown of all in the city is the prestigious five-star Kwara Hotels. It is located near the Government House and Ariya Gardens. There are other places to visit, like Water View, Brunch Cafe (they make the most delicious fried gizzard, garnished with pepper y pepper sauce, and before I start drooling let me move on), Royals (a first class eatery that satisfy your every need. They even have a machine that churns out espresso, coffee, tea, green tea, cappuchino and many other things), Ostrich, and of course the usual Mr Biggs, Tantalizers and Sweet Sensation eateries.

Ilorin has Kwara state Fire Service HQ, a quaint old building, and a museum. There are various mosques and churches that you can attend. For me, I attended the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), and I was hooked. Its a cozy church that is youth- and business-inclined. Its at Tanki.

Weather: They have what they call the "total weather day". It comprises of a lovely morning, a scorching sunny afternoon (I do mean scorching, as the sun was biting my skin. Seriously.), a cool evening, and a rainy night. By the third day, I was thinking that I need to buy sunscreen.

Did I mention the lovely accent they have? I love the flow and undulations and the way they role their vowels around their tongue. Its another way of speaking Yoruba, which is a general language in the city. Then the town is host to the University of Ilorin which has been in existence since the 1970s. There is also an international airport, but is temporarily not functional for international routes, only local flights.

I spent a week in Ilorin and got to see most of the town. Most of the prominent banks have branches there - I saw ETB, GTB (two branches), Intercontinental, Zenith and Oceanic Banks.

I spent one thousand and five hundred naira to trave to Ilorin, and spent seven hundred naira to take a bus back. The journey took five hours back to Lagos.

So if you ever have the chance to visit Ilorin, make sure you have fun like I did!

Abuja

Facts: Abuja is the Federal Capital Territory of the country Nigeria. Its a planned city, because of that, there are many architectural wonders created to blow your mind. There are a few natural wonders, like Zuma rock.

Experience: I visited a lot of places during my stay in Abuja. The best time to see the architectural wonders is at night, when they are illuminated. There was the Unity Fountain, which has extensions named after every state in Nigeria. There is the CBN building, which looks so lovely with the inner illumination and the naira signs on the side. There are many parks that you could just go to and stroll round, parks like Millenium park, among others. Abuja is a structured city, so there are lots and lots of eateries to visit, and clubs to go to. Ceddi Plaza is a lot like Silverbird Galleria - top floor = cinema rooms and eatery, second floor = stores, of books, clothes and other goods, and ground floor = other stores, and parking space.
Then lets not forget to mention Sahad stores, who still is the one stop shop for everything food, undies, toiletries, clothes, native material, baby needs, cosmetics - just name it!
I had a lovely time in Abuja, visited several areas - Garki (the main business district), Maitama, Kubwa, Wuye, Wuse, Wuse II, Berger, and Jabbi.

If you are ever in Abuja for a stretch, (and you can afford to give yourself a magnificent treat) try Transcorp Hilton Hotel, or if you are on a budget, try Reiz Continental Hotel. If you are on a less flexible budget, try Peace Haven hotel (for a more reasonable price, you get internet facility, and a pool to swim in along with your normal package).

Make sure you also visit Blakes, a restaurant plus fun bar, which host the most shows in Abuja - almost every month you'll find a collection of Nigerian stars coming to perform.

So, come and have fun!

Plateau State

Plateau State is the twelfth largest state of Nigeria, and is roughly located in the centre of the country. Its capital is Jos. Plateau State is celebrated as "The Home of Peace and Tourism", an image that has been fractured in recent years by Muslim-Christian clashes in the state. Plateau State gets its name from the Jos Plateau. It has a population of around 3.5 million people.

Plateau State is known as The Home of Peace and Tourism and there is plenty to see.

• The Wildlife Safari Park sits in the middle of 8 sq. km (3.09 sq. miles) of unspoiled savanna bush, about 4 km from Jos. It offers a wide variety of wild animals within easy viewing. These include buffalos, lions, leopards, baboons, monkeys, derby elands, pythons, crocodiles, chimpanzees, jackals and the rare pygmy hippopotamus, which is being successfully bred in the 'hippo pool’. The park also boasts great, panoramic views of Jos city.
• The National Museum in Jos was founded in 1952, and is recognised as one of the best in the country. It is renowned for its archeology and The Pottery Hall has an exceptional collection of finely crafted pottery from all over Nigeria. The museum boasts some fine specimens of Nok terracotta heads and artifacts dating from between 500 BC to 200 AD.
• The Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture is adjacent, with life-size replicas of a variety of buildings, from the walls of Kano and the Mosque at Zaria to a Tiv village. In addition, articles of interest from colonial times relating to the railway and tin mining can be found on display.
• Jos Zoo is located in Jos city, beside the museum. It has a good stock of animals, birds and reptiles and was established in 1957.
• Assop Falls is perhaps, the most notable of Nigeria's many waterfalls. Located at the edge of the Jos Plateau, about 40 miles from Jos city, on the road to Abuja, this is a popular tourist stop for picnicking, swimming and enjoying the scenery. Assop Falls has also proved popular with people shooting local soap operas and advertisements.
• Kurra Falls is an area of magnificent scenery some 77 kilometers southeast of Jos. It is the location of the State's first hydroelectric power station. It is a beautiful area of rocks hills, and lakes, ideal for boating, camping, and rock climbing. There is tourist accommodation available.
• Wase Rock is a striking dome-shaped inselberg which juts out of the ground to an incredible height of 450 meters. It is located about 216 kilometers southeast of Jos near Wase town. It is one of the only five breeding places for the White pelican in Africa. Because of this, the government now protects about 321 acres of land around the rock as a bird sanctuary and for wildlife development.
• The Kerang highlands are located about 88 kilometres from Jos. These beautiful, volcanic mountain hills are the source of natural mountain springs, which supply the popular spring water company (SWAN).
• The Shere Hills include some of the Plateau’s highest peaks. They are a scenic range of hills to the east of Jos which offer a prime view of the city below. They offer fantastic opportunities to mountain climbers and hill walkers alike.
• Riyom Rock is one of nature's most spectacular rock formations, located 25 kilometers southwest of Jos, near Riyom town.
• Pandam Game Reserve is a wildlife sanctuary. It is a protected region of natural habitat and is home to Hippopotami, Crocodiles and snakes of all types. Local park rangers track local game on foot and guide people to the best viewing areas. This area is still virtually unspoiled by human contact. It offers sports fishing facilities and tourist accommodation is available.

Kahwang Rock Formation is a set of beautiful basalt rocks, second to one of its kind found in Switzerland. Located in Bangai village of Bachi District in Riyom Local Government of the state, the Kahwang rocks have received tourists from different parts of the state,the country at large and on occasions, from outside Nigeria, who visit the site to see for themselves the wonders of nature. This site is however, still awaiting the attention of the Plateau State Tourism Corporation for harnessing to meet modern touch and to serve as another source of revenue generation to the state.

ETHNIC GROUPS

The State has over forty ethno-linguistic groups but no single group large enough to claim majority position. Some of the indigenous tribes in the State include: Afizere, Amo, Anaguta, Angas, Aten, Berom, Bogghom, Buji, Challa, Chip, Fier, Gashish, Goemai, Irigwe, Jarawa, Jukun, Kwagalak, Kwalla, Meryang, Miango, Miship, Montol, Mushere, Mupum, Mwaghavul, Ngas, Piapung, Pyem, Ron-Kulere, Rukuba, Taletc, Taroh, Youm. Each ethnic group has its own distinct language, but as with the rest of the country, English is the official language in Plateau State although Hausa has gained acceptability as a medium of communication. These people groups are predominantly farmers and have similar cultural and traditional ways of life. People from other parts of country have come to settle in Plateau State and generally coexist peacefully with the indigenes. These include the Hausa, Fulani, Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw, and Bini. Plateau State is predominantly Christian although the exact numbers aren't known.

Visit the following sites for more information:

Plateau State Government

Plateau State

Welcome to Nigeria!

Well...Una welcome to Naija o! The land of plenty! The land flowing with milk and honey!
For those of us feeling homesick......For those that cannot honestly say that they know Nigeria well....For those that want to be able to beat their chests and say they 'know' Nigeria very well.....For those that would love to see the positive side of our beautiful country.....For those that want to know all the other one hundred and twenty something tribes of Nigeria,
This is the place!

Welcome to Tour Nigeria!

[Note that most of the information provided here about Nigeria will be culled from various sources, including but not limited to wikipedia.org, nigeriantourism.net, Life Magazine, a free publication by The Guardian Newspaper, Nigeria.]