Ekiti
Yoruba hill country where topography prevented unification but produced Nigeria's highest professor concentration, earning the "Fountain of Knowledge" title.
Ekiti State exists because hills kept Yoruba settlements independent. The name derives from "Ile olokiti" - land of hills - describing the rugged terrain that prevented political unification under any single ruler. Fourteen children of Olofin, migrating from Ile-Ife (the Yoruba cradle land), discovered these hills and stayed. The topography that blocked centralization also blocked conquest: from 1877 to 1893, the Ekiti Confederacy (Ekitiparapo) fought the Oyo-Ibadan to a British-brokered stalemate in the Kiriji War. Fabunmi of Okemesi-Ekiti led this resistance that preserved Ekiti distinctiveness. Created from Ondo State in 1996, Ekiti is now called the "Fountain of Knowledge" for its emphasis on education and the highest concentration of professors in Nigeria. Agriculture employs 75% of the population - cocoa, oil palm, plantain, rice - but the state's intellectual output matters more to its identity. Ado-Ekiti, founded by Ewi Awamaro as he migrated from Ile-Ife through Benin, hosts textile mills continuing long-standing cotton weaving traditions. Casserite, columbite, and tantalite at Ijero-Ekiti represent mineral potential. By 2026, Ekiti will leverage its educated population for knowledge economy growth while agriculture remains the employment backbone.