The Development of the Railway System and its Impact in Offa, Kwara State; 1912-1955
The construction of a railway line up to Offa in 1912 was part of the plan to facilitate the legitimate trade and connect the interior part of the country. It became a mode of transport to evacuate large quantities of agricultural produce from the interior to the coast for onward transfer to the Western world. The railway system also became the only powerful means of communication to indigenous people in what became Nigeria. Further development of rail transport from Lagos to other areas from 1901 led to the construction of railway system in Offa. Indeed, the construction of rail tracks up to Offa brought rapid development to the people as the first Terminus was built in Offa after Ibadan and was regarded as a Sub-district, while Ibadan Terminus was known as District. Offa became the administrative headquarters for Oshogbo and Ilorin which are both state capitals in Nigeria today. This attracted many foreign experts to Offa, as an administrative office controlling Oshogbo,Inisha,Okuku, Erin-Ile, Ijagbo and Ilorin. This paper seeks to examine the development and impact of railway transport in Offa since 1912.
