THINGS FALL APART AT THE CENTRE

The book is about Hijab Crises in Ilorin, Kwara state. Ilorin was founded by the Yorubas, one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria in 1450. It became a provincial military headquarters of the ancient Oyo Empire, and later became a Northern Nigeria protectorate when Shehu Alim, an itinerant Islamic preacher once took control of the city. The capital was occupied by the Royal Niger Company in 1897 and its lands were incorporated into the British colony of Northern Nigeria in 1900. A centre of Christian revival in 1970s, the city retains the Islamic influence, but Christianity is now widely practiced in the cosmopolitan and in every part of the city also from the significant immigration of people from other parts of Kwara State and the rest of Nigeria. Records of Christianity in Ilorin reveal that over 50% of the population are Christians. The city has a history of modern day ministers and a host of ancient and modern churches with average to large congregations; all Catholic and Protestant populations of the Christian faith. Most Christian churches in the state started schools and introduced innovative ideas to-date and intend to maintain it against the hijab crises.