By Asiat Meikudi
There has been a claim circulating on social media platforms, particularly Facebook and Twitter that the University of Ilorin(UNILORIN) in Kwara state is the largest university in terms of landmass in Nigeria.
UNILORIN is located in Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara State, at latitude 8.4799° N and longitude 4.5418° E.
The Claim
The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) in Ilorin, Kwara State is the largest university in Nigeria, and one of the largest in Africa by land mass. It covers 15,000 hectares.
The claim has been posted on Campus Updates Ng, a Facebook group with more than 180k followers. As of press time, the post has generated over 1000 likes with over 20 shares.
It was also posted on Africa Facts Zone on Twitter, and it has gathered over 700 retreats, 312,000 views and 3,383 as of the time of filing this report.
Verification
Using open sources, The News Digest Press has verified the authenticity of the claim. Though there is no official statement from either Nigeria Universities Commission(NUC) or any agency authorized to release such a claim in Nigeria, an open source finding shows that the claim is true as seen here , here and here. All the sources consulted did not point out the contrary of the claim.
The News Digest Press also confirmed that the university covers 15,000 hectares, and it was reported that the university will use 5,000 for farming purposes.
Verdict
Therefore, the claim that University of Ilorin(UNILORIN) in Kwara state is the largest university in terms of landmass in Nigeria is true, even though as of the time of filing this report, no official statement is made as to that effect.