IBADAN TO ILORIN BY ROAD: A TRAVELER’S GUIDE

For the majority, road travel is the easiest and most convenient if not the cheapest means of getting around the country, particularly these two cities. Ibadan is the state capital of Oyo state and the largest city in the country located in south-western Nigeria while Ilorin is the capital of Kwara state, the largest city in the state and located in the North-central region, although close to the south-western region as well.

THE BEST PLACE(S) TO GET AN ILORIN-BOUND VEHICLE IN IBADAN

Iwo Road, Iyana- Ife: Located, as the name implies, at Iyana-ife, off the Iwo Road axis. This garage is most convenient for those coming from the Alakia/Gbagi area, Agodi-Gate and the Challenge-Sawmill expressway. Located inside a petrol station, buses going to Ilorin can be found easily. However, no taxis going to Ilorin are readily available in this area and the buses are not the most comfortable especially for those in the first row behind the driver’s seat who are forced to seat in fours (the maximum number of passengers per seat in the buses is three passengers for all other rows behind the first). The usual price range for Ilorin buses from the garage is N1,200- N1,300 depending on time period.

Ojor Motor Park, Ojor: Located in the bustling motor park of Ojor on the way to Moniya, this park is very close to the outskirts of Ibadan and as such passengers, in the event of a traffic hold-up in the central areas, do not have too long to go to leave the city. The majority of vehicles in the park are Minivans which, although not as big as buses, are infinitely more comfortable with only seven passengers in total, with one up front beside the driver and three each in the remaining two rows behind the driver. The usual fare from the Ojor Park is N1,400 – N1,500

Sango Motor Park: Coming from UI/Agbowo axis, the motor park is accessible by taking a taxi of N50 to Sango Park, you drop at Iyana Poly and follow the sounds of the megaphones calling passengers to Abeokuta, Ilorin, Ogbomosho etc and go find the vehicle taking you to your preferred destination. Mokola, Eleyele, Samonda, Polytechnic area among others are some of the areas closest to this motor park which is solely taxis and minivans, no buses available here for a similar price range to Ojor’s which is N1,400 – N1,500

WHICH MOTOR PARK TO CHOOSE

Of the three motor parks, I personally go for the Ojor motor park. The park is just N80 away from the Iwo road park if you’re coming from that area and for just circa N200 more than Iwo Road garage you travel in a much more comfortable (and faster) car, it’s also close to the UI axis so is reasonably central to both locations. The drivers are not as reckless (again, from personal experience) which is a real boost considering the state of the road you’ll be passing through on your way to Ilorin.

WHAT/HOW TO PACK

• Make sure all your belongings are packed into as few bags as possible from home/ where you’re coming from to ensure you can manage them easily.
• When you get to the park you’ll be set upon by different alabarus (porters loitering around waiting for passengers with heavy luggage) who’ll flat out demand to carry your bags to the vehicle going to Ilorin, you have a choice of firmly indicating a “No” with your head and walking past them or surrendering your bag(s) to them if they’re heavy, however be sure to keep a close watch on the porter and your bag(s)
• When you get to the Ilorin-bound vehicle place your large bag(s) in the trunk and let the driver know if you have any fragile items inside so they can be arranged properly. Also, ensure that your most valuable, portable items (such as phone, wallet, keys, identification, PC etc) are kept with you in a smaller bag or on your person.
• On no condition should you have any sort of camouflage material with you especially clothing items and travelling bags. With them being banned, they are a perfect excuse for policemen to extort money from, and delay the whole travelling party in the event of the extortion not being successful inconveniencing you and your fellow passengers in the process.

TIME TAKEN

The trip from Ibadan to Ilorin usually takes about 2hrs 30 mins, taking into consideration road and weather conditions as well as the seemingly countless bribe collection centres the policemen call their roadblocks

SNACK AND RESTROOM OPTIONS

You can make a selection from a wide range of snack choices at any of the three parks, from barbecued meat to Gala and drinks. There are some public restrooms available at each park but (personal preference, mind), I prefer to leave the house with an empty bladder and eat sparingly along the journey rather than make use of the public restrooms provided.

PERSONAL TIPS FOR THE FIRST-TIME TRAVELER TO ILORIN

• Evacuate your bowels before leaving the house.
• Make sure you fill the personal information form supplied to passengers and also take down the licence plate number of the vehicle and pass on to as many friends as possible (and make sure the driver sees you taking down the plate number)
• Make sure your most valuable possessions are kept close to hand in a carryon or a small bag, not just because of theft but also because of the way items are stacked carelessly in the trunk.
• I prefer sitting up front beside the driver, asides being the most comfortable seat in the vehicle, it’s also within easy reach of the charging port so you can listen to music, read, surf the internet (where coverage exists on the road) without running your battery flat. Barring that, leave the house with a full charge and a powerbank if you have one.
• There’ll be parts of the trip that’ll be downright scary, such as the Oyo route where trailers barrel down the very narrow road in the opposite direction- which is quite a nerve-wracking experience. There’s nothing that can be done about that but for no reason should the driver be distracted at this time, any entreaties for him to drive carefully should be made before getting to that route and not during so he can concentrate fully on the task at hand – which is getting the vehicle safely to Ilorin

GETTING TO YOUR DESTINATION

All commercial vehicles entering Ilorin will drop at “General” bus stop where there are different taxis and bikes waiting to take people to various destinations. If you’re on a budget however, move forward past the already parked cars and hail a passing vehicle with shouts of your destination, sooner or later one going your way will stop. These are harder to find but cheaper.

Enjoy your trip.