According to a news report from Daily Trust, the Kwara State government on Wednesday launched the Ilorin Master City Plan and Ilorin Smart City project.

This significant development comes 48 years after the initial master plan for Ilorin was established. The new satellite cities will be located in Ganmo, Agbabiaka, Oke Oyi, Oke Ose, Eyenkorin, and Oko Olowo, among other areas within the Ilorin South, Ilorin East, and Asa LGAs.

The government stated that once completed, these twin projects are expected to enhance Ilorin’s habitability and ensure the city meets contemporary urban planning standards in the face of the climate crisis.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq described it as a “legacy for those coming after us”.

Speaking at the launch in Ilọrin, AbdulRazaq said the first phase of the ambitious smart city covers 11,000 hectares with an estimated N1.72tr funding requirements from public private investments between now (2024) and 2027.

He said to achieve the vision, sacrifices will be made, but they are worth it.

According to him, the state cannot do it alone but planned to run on the back of public private partnership (PPP).

“While the Ilorin City Master Plan has been designed to guide how we live sustainably for the next 40 years, the Smart City is our innovative response to the multidimensional challenges of urban living that now confront Ilorin, including congestion and the associated pressures it brings on the existing infrastructure.

“Designed to host 540,000 residents, the Smart City is a nine-residential district city that is built in compliance with the United Nations prescriptions for urban living. Comprising a business district, an enterprise zone, industrial park, and three commercial districts, among others.

“The city spans 20,000 hectares and features 15% green space provisioning and 50 square metres of green space per individual,” he added.

AbdulRazaq, who is also the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), submitted that “As at this morning, the United Nations World Population Prospects put Ilorin as the third most populous metro area in the entire northern Nigeria, preceded only by Kaduna and Kano in the ascending order.

“Ilorin, according to this data, has had a population growth rate of between 2.53 per cent in 2020 and 3.3 per cent in 2024.”

According to him, “The statistics above are not just mere figures, they have dire consequences for how we live and survive. Population growth has far-reaching social consequences in the area of infrastructural risk, health risk and security risks, among others. We are damned if we do not plan for it.”