Ondo! Sunshine State

Traveling to Ondo State
The NYSC camp is located at; NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Ikare-Akoko Local Government Area, Ondo State.
Akure airport serves the state. The state is also accessible by road; buses mostly travel to major cities such as Owo and Akure.

On YouthPlus: 

More on Ondo State
Ondo State is a southwestern state whose capital is AkureOndo state borders Ekiti state to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State to the southeast, Ogun State to the southwest, and Osun State to the northwest. The state has 18 local government areas.

People and Culture
The state is predominantly occupied by the Yorubas who speak various dialects of the language such as the Akoko, Akure, Apoi, Idanre, Ijaw, Ikale, Ilaje, Ondo and the Owo.
The culture of the Ondo State people is rich evident by the number of antiquities and artefacts are also preserved in palaces of traditional rulers some of which have been declared as National Monuments.

Geography and Climate
The tropical climate of the state is broadly of two seasons, which are the rainy season between April and October and the dry season between November and March. The state enjoys luxuriant vegetation with high forest zone (rain forest) in the south and sub-savannah forest in the northern fringe.
There is a maze of numerous rivers, creeks and lakes in and around Ondo State also highlands and inselbergs to the northern parts of the state.

Notable Places
Key towns include; Akure, Owo, Ore, Ondo, Oka-Akoko, Okitipupa, Ile-Oluji, and Ikare. Notable sites include Idanre Hills, Owo Museum of Antiques, Cave Ashes, Ebomi Lake Tourist Centre, Igbokoda Waterfront etc.
Institutions of higher learning include Adekunle Ajasin University, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Achievers University, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Wesley University of Science and Technology, and Elizade University.

Economic opportunities
Ondo state has the largest bitumen deposit in Africa and produces more than 75,000 tons of quality cocoa annually. It has the potential for a true deep-sea port co-located with a free-trade zone. It has the 2nd longest defined coastline of 75km, fertile land and waters for agriculture, and is a natural transit hub to Nigeria’s hinterlands.

Interesting Fact
Ondo region is now the core of the Nigerian cocoa belt accounting for about 60 per cent of Nigeria’s annual output. Ondo is endowed with other resources such as Bitumen, kaolin clay, iron ore, granite and quartz sands.

Experiences of Corps Members that served in Ondo State