The Kwara state government in partnership with the private sector is to spend 1.7 trillion naira in the next four years to develop the first phase of the Ilorin Smart City modeled after major sustainable, green smart cities across the world.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq disclosed this during the launch of the Ilorin new masterplan and the grand unveiling of the Smart City as part of activities marking his 5th anniversary in office.
Kwara state was created in 1967 with Ilorin as the state capital.
It had its first master plan as the capital in 1976.
Since then, no deliberate attempt was made by successive governments to improve on the old masterplan until Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in 2022 came up with a new urban master plan to reposition the capital city.
The new masterplan is being launched as part of his administration’s 5th anniversary celebration.
One major feature of the Ilorin new masterplan is the establishment of the Ilorin Smart City.
Expected to cover 20,000 hectares of land, the smart city is an innovative response to multi-dimensional challenges of urban living that now confronts Ilorin, including congestion and the attendant pressure on the existing infrastructure
Designed to host 540,000 residents, the smart city is expected to have a business district, an enterprise zone, an industrial park and three commercial districts.
The Ilorin Smart City project will cover 20,000 hectares of land along Oke Ose and Oke Oyi axis in Ilorin East and some parts of Ilorin South local government area of Kwara state.
