Ekiti State history and capital, Ekiti State Local Government Areas and Senatorial Zones/ Districts in Ekiti State. The post also has Local Government Area that make each Ekiti State Senatorial Districts.

Ekiti State of Nigeria was created on 1st October, 1996 along side other five by the late Head of state and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Sani Abacha, GCON in a nation-wide broadcast to mark the 36th Independence anniversary of Nigeria. The State, carved out of Ondo State, cover the former twelve local government areas that made up the Ekiti Zone of old Ondo State

Ekiti State is situated entirely within the tropics. It is located between longitudes 40°51′and 50°451′East of the Greenwich meridian and latitudes 70°151′and 80°51′north of the Equator. It lies south of Kwara and Kogi State, East of Osun State and bounded by Ondo State in the East and in the south; Land Area – 5887.890sq km.

Read: Nigerian History

Economic activities involve mining of solid minerals (clay, kaolin, columbite, bauxite, granite, etc). – Trading activities occur on small, medium, and large scale levels.

Major occupation – agriculture with high production of yam, cocoa, coffee, plantain, banana, kolanut, palm oil, etc. There is also a major investment in mining of solid minerals and tourism.

Ekiti dialet is common to the people of the State. The people are mostly Muslims and Christians while some are still traditional religionists. The people of Ekiti have their own unique traditional way of Dressing, Dancing, Festival, religion and other ways of life. The dress for man in Ekiti is Bùbá (round neck shirt) and Sòkòtò (trousers) While women dress in Bùbá (blouse) and Ìró (wrapper) while their best food is Iyan (Pounded Yam) with melon Soup and Bush Meat.

The state is largely agrarian. Agriculture is the mainstay of the state economy. It employs 75% of the state working population.
The State is one of the largest producers of Rice, Kolanut, oil palm and cocoa in the country. They also produce crops like cassava, yam, cocoyam, maize, cowpea, citrus, plantain and fruits like cashew, mango and orange.
As the state is within the ecological belt known for abundant forest resources the state produces high quality woods which are raw material for wood based industries within and outside the state.

Industrially, the state is arid with only few companies on the ground. However, the state government has embarked on an aggressive industrialization drive through the provision of necessary infrastructure while new industrial estates are being opened under World Bank Infrastructural Development Fund to cater for investors’ needs.
The state is endowed with abundant mineral deposits of value like Clay, Kaolin, Columbite, Cassiterite, Foundry Sand, Bauxite, Clarcomite and Charcoalnite Granite.

Tourism is another aspect which will become a veritable source of income for the state. Notable among its tourist attractions are the Ikogosi tourist centre which are referred to as the haven of tourism in Nigeria.

At Ikogosi, the warm and cold water oozing out from different sources from the earth crust flow separately to meet in a pool each retaining its thermal identity.

Ekiti State Tourist centres are:

Raw Material Display Centre
Arinta Waterfall at Ipole-Iloro
Ero Dam at Ikun-Ekiti
Fajuyi Memorial Park at Ado-Ekiti;

The state also has rich cultural carnivals like Iwemo and Udiroko in Ado-Ekiti; Ogun in Ire-Ekiti; Ijesu and Egungun which continue to attract people to the state. Ekiti state is accessible by road.

Ekiti was an independent state prior to the British conquest. It was one of the many Yoruba states in what is today Nigeria. The Ekiti people as a nation and districts of Yoruba race trace some of her progeny to Oduduwa, the father and progenitor of Yoruba race even though good reason appear to establish the existence of aboriginal people in Ekiti region prior to influx of royalty from present day Ile Ife as that kingdom grew and abound.

Read: Nigerian States and Capitals

There are two major schools of thought regarding Ekiti history. First was the story that tied the origin of Ekiti to Ife. The story goes that the Olofin, one of the sons of Oduduwa had 16 children and in the means of searching for the new land to develop, they all journeyed out of Ile-Ife as they walked through the Iwo – Eleru (Cave of Ashes) at Isarun and had stop over at a place called Igbo-Aka (forest of termites) closer to Ile-Oluji.

The Olofin, the 16 children and some other beloved people continued with their journey, but when they got to a particular lovely and flat land, the Owa-Obokun (the Monarch of Ijesha land) and Orangun of Ila decided to stay in the present Ijesha and Igbomina land of in Osun state. While the remaining 14 children journeyed onwards and later settled in the present day Ekiti land. They discovered that there were many hills in the place and they said in their mother’s language that this is “Ile olokiti” the land of hills. Therefore, the Okiti later blended to Ekiti. So Ekiti derived her name through hills.

It must however be noted, that this history may describe the history of certain royalty in present-day Ekiti, but not all of Ekiti which is made up of 131 Principal towns, with their own royalty and many land-owning communities with no royalty at all. In fact, the invading royalties from the East went on to colonize and transform the aboriginals, distinguishing the Ekiti dialect upon mix-up with the Ife/Oyo tongue of the Yorubas according to the renowned historian of early Yoruba States and Affairs

the Ekitis are among the aboriginal elements of the Nigeria absorbed by the invaders from the East (Yoruba people from Ile Ife). “The term Ekiti denotes a “Mound”, and is derived from the rugged mountainous feature of that part of the country. It is an extensive province and well watered, including several tribes and families right on to the border of the Niger, eastward. They hold themselves quite distinct from the Ijesas, especially in political affairs.

Ekiti State Local Government Areas

Ekiti State consists of sixteen (16) Local Government Areas. They are:

Ado-Ekiti

Ikere

Oye

Aiyekire (Gbonyin)

Efon

Ekiti East

Ekiti South-West

Ekiti West

Emure

Ido-Osi

Ijero

Ikole

Ilejemeje

Irepodun/Ifelodun

Ise/Orun

Moba

Ekiti State Senatorial Zones / Districts

Ekiti state have three (3) Senatorial Zones / Districts. They are Ekiti Central Senatorial Zone / District, Ekiti North Senatorial Zone / District and Ekiti South Senatorial Zone / District. Below are the Senatorial Zones / Districts and the local government areas that made up the districts.

Ekiti South Senatorial Zone / District

Ekiti East Local Government Area
Ekiti South West Local Government Area
Emure Local Government Area
Gbonyin Local Government Area
Ikere Local Government Area
Ise / Orun Local Government Area

Ekiti North Senatorial Zone / District

Ido / Osi Local Government Area
Ikole Local Government Area
Ilejemeje Local Government Area
Moba Local Government Area
Oye Local Government Area

Ekiti Central Senatorial Zone / District

Ado Ekiti Local Government Area
Efon Local Government Area
Ekiti West Local Government Area
Ijero Local Government Area
Irepodun / Ifelodun Local Government Area