BIOLA AZEEZ writes on the transformation of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, from a glorified semi-urban town to a promising city.   

Most people who come to Ilorin metropolis for the first time and those who are visiting few years after their last visit would testify that Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State now, unlike before, has almost all the factors of a growing city.

Such factors like fast growing population, infrastructural development like road network to ease transportation, health facilities, private and public business commercial infrastructure, springing housing estates, among other social amenities, including growing formal and informal commerce are evident in the state capital.

One will get to know that Ilorin has really changed when you get to such places as Gerin Alimi Roundabout, which serves as the entry point to the state capital. What confronts you when you get to the area is heavy traffic orchestrated by large volume of vehicles. State traffic officials always have a big task on their hands controlling vehicles, particularly heavy vehicles from industries located around the area including commercial ones.
When you move further inside the city passing through the popular Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Saw Mill, Post Office and Maraba, then you would not need to be told of higher population in the city, with traffic jam that is ever present particularly from 8.00 am till about 4.00 pm on weekdays. You can't escape it. Many people spoken with said this was not the case few years back.

On the other hand, when you decide to enter the city through the same Gerin Alimi Roundabout, passing through Asa Dam Road one may not experience much traffic jam due to fewer vehicles accentuated by good dual carriage road. However, one would be confronted with development activities as in new building structures of either residential, educational, official and manufacturing companies along the road.

Kwara has been described as a civil service state, more so with less hurly-burly of official and commercial activities during weekends and public holidays in the state capital, because traffic is light with fewer vehicles plying. Most of the workers would have travelled outside the state capital to resume for work on Mondays.

Interestingly, weekends are periods when one can better appreciate the serenity and harmony that gives the state the acronym, "State of Harmony”. People can then enjoy roads already beautified with renovated roundabouts, flower plants and beautiful building structures that line such roads as Ahmadu Bello, Tanke, Basin, Murtala, Ibrahim Taiwo among others.

It cannot be argued when the city is classified as one of the leading academic or education destinations in the country. This is evident in the number of federal, state-owned and private tertiary institutions located in the state, particularly in Ilorin state capital and neighbouring towns.
Some of these higher institutions are University of Ilorin, Kwara State Polytechnic, Kwara State University, Islamic faith-based university called Al-Hikmah University, College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies (CAILS), Landmark University, Omu Aran, Kwara State College of Education, Oro, Schools of Nursing and Midwifery as well as Michael Imoudu National Institute of Labour Studies (MINILS).

As would be expected, these tertiary institutions have had direct impact on their immediate environment and Ilorin, the state capital as a whole. In particular, due to lack of inadequate hostel accommodation in many of these higher institutions, residential houses built for commercial purposes had sprung up around the school communities, thus improving the socio-economic life in all these areas.

Tanke area of Ilorin, a community leading to the University of Ilorin, hitherto referred to as a village located on the outskirts of the town, is now a spectre to behold in the array of beautiful architectural designs that dot the area.
Also, new residential communities such as Airport Road, Asa Dam and Amoyo, among others, are fast developing, asking for attention of town planning authority to ensure quality and aesthetic planning.    

Another notable factor for fast growing nature of Ilorin as a modern city is the current influx of many people recently displaced from neighbouring states. While some families, made up of indigenes and non-indigenes of the city decided to relocate to Ilorin due to insecurity problems caused by Boko Haram insurgency in some northern parts of the country, some other families were recently displaced from Lagos State and Abuja, especially due to government policy that had become unfavourable to their sources of livelihood. Hence, the decision to retrace their steps and return to their state.

Some other categories comprise of those that have decided to make Ilorin their new settlement as a result of comparative relative peace and harmony in the state.

Meanwhile, crime rate is gradually increasing in the city, as many criminals from neighbouring states enter the city to perpetrate crime, especially pipeline vandals and car snatchers.

However, there can be no economic prosperity unless people are assured of reasonable security for their lives and properties. 
As such, the present administration in the state has demonstrated the resolve to protect lives and properties early in its life, by donating 10 Toyota Hilux Trucks to the Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Police followed by another five to enhance the operational efficiency of the security agencies.

The Abdulfatah Ahmed-led administration during the recent flag off of Operation Harmony in Kwara State, also released 15 Toyota Hilux 2x4 Pick-up vans for immediate take-off and effective operations by the Operation Harmony Security Outfit, which is a synergy among Joint Patrol Team (JPT) Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and other security outfits.

The governor, had, while flagging off the outfit, said, "Today, one of our continuing strategies for upholding law and order in the interest of the people's wellbeing has been strengthened with this outfit's debut.

"Indeed, it is highly disturbing to note that crime and criminality are gradually on the rise despite our reputation for peace and for low crimes rates. These developments have given this administration and indeed our people understandable cause for alarm.

"This administration will therefore do everything possible to uphold the security of lives and properties in the state.