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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Historical Development: Ondo State of Nigeria was one of the seven states created on 3rd February, 1976. It was carved

Iroko tree planted in 1150, Akure

out of the former Western State. The state covered the total area of the former Ondo Province, created in 1915 with Akure as the provincial headquarters.

Ondo State took off formally on 1st April, 1976, consisting of the nine administrative divisions of the former Western State (Ministry of Information and Culture, 1979). These nine divisions then were Akoko, Akure, Ekiti Central, Ekiti North, Ekiti South, Ekiti West, Okitipupa, Ondo and Owo.

Akure town ship was retained as the state headquarters. However, on 1st October, 1996, Ekiti State comprising Ekiti Central, Ekiti North, Ekiti South and Ekiti West Divisions was carved out of Ondo State. Hence, the present Ondo State is made up of Akoko, Akure, Okitipupa, Ondo and Owo Divisions. Akure remains the State capital.

Location: The state lies between latitudes 5°45' and 7°52'N and longitudes 4°20' and 6° 05'E. Its land area is about 15,500 square kilometres. Ondo State is bounded on the east by Edo and Delta states, on the west by Ogun and Osun States, on the

Down Town Akure

north by Ekiti and Kogi States and to the south by the Bight of Benin and the Atlantic Ocean.

Administrative Areas: The apex of the administrative structure is the state headquarters, Akure. Prior to the carving out of Ekiti State from Ondo State there were twenty-six Local Government Areas (LGAs). Fourteen of these remained in Ondo State, and from these, additional four LGAs were created.

As at now, there are eighteen LGAs in Ondo State. An important aspect of the administrative setup of Ondo State is the recognition of four subordinate area authorities. These are areas having some recognised autonomy within their LGAs