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10 Greatest Places To Live In Nigeria
When you’re looking for a great place to live in Nigeria, some cities really stand out. These places offer a good quality of life, busy communities, and lots of opportunities for the people who live there. In this article, we’ll talk about the top ten greatest places to live in Nigeria and give you important information about why each one is a great place to call home.
They also have a lot to offer if you’re thinking about moving. Whether you like warm weather, beautiful landscapes, job opportunities, or affordable living costs, this list has a place that’s perfect for you. Take some time to explore your options on our list.
Here Are The Top 10 Greatest Places To Live In Nigeria
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10. AKURE
Akure is a big city in southwest Nigeria, and it’s the capital of Ondo State. It’s ranked 10th on the list of greatest places to live in Nigeria. In 2006, 403,000 people lived here, but now there are 774,000 residents.
Akure has lots of TV and radio stations: NTA Akure, Ondo State Television, Sunshine Radio Akure, Adaba FM, Futa FM, Empire Radio, Positive FM Akure, Orange FM, Galaxy Radio, Crest FM, and Breeze FM.
People trade farming stuff, like cocoa, yam, cassava, maize, tobacco, and cotton. They also grow grains like rice, beans, and millet. There’s a trade fair every year organized by the Ondo State Agricultural Commodities Association.
In Akure, there are places to eat like Chicken Republic, Tantalizers, Captain Cook, Deja Vu Hotel and Suites, City Center Akure, Mr. Bigg’s, and LAH Kitchen & Lounge. There are also big stores like NAO, AFOYEM, CECI, PEP, Omega, DE CHRIS, OUK, and God’s Love, plus a Shoprite mall.
The weather is mostly warm, with a hot season from late January to late March. It gets cooler from mid-June to early October. Rain comes from February to November, with September being the wettest month. It’s dry from November to February, with January being the driest.
For health, Akure has hospitals like the state specialist hospital and private clinics. There are also universities like the Federal University of Technology Akure, the Federal College of Agriculture, and schools for nursing and health tech. The city has good secondary schools like St. Thomas Aquinas College, Oyemekun Grammar School, St. Louis Grammar School, and Fiwasaye Girls’ Grammar School, among others. Primary schools are everywhere, but only a few are good.
9. ADO-EKITI
Ado-Ekiti is a great place to live in Nigeria, and it’s the capital of Ekiti State, located in the southwest of Nigeria.
The weather in Ado-Ekiti has two main seasons. During the rainy season, it’s humid and cloudy, while in the dry season, it’s warm and muggy with some clouds. The temperature usually stays between 64 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, rarely going below 58 or above 95. January to April is the hottest period, with March being the hottest month. August is the coolest month in the cooler season from June to October. Cloud cover varies throughout the year, with December having the least clouds and April being the cloudiest.
Rainfall in Ado-Ekiti differs greatly between seasons. The wet season runs from February 13 to November 18, with the most rain in September, and December receiving the least rain.
Ado-Ekiti has many educational institutions, including the state-owned University of Ado-Ekiti (now Ekiti State University), Afe Babalola University (private), Federal Polytechnic (polytechnic), Federal University Oye (FUOYE) in Oye-Ekiti, Crown Polytechnic (private) in Odo, Ado-Ekiti, and Ekiti State Polytechnic (state-owned) in Isan Ekiti.
In terms of media and the economy, Ado-Ekiti has local media stations like the Nigeria Television Authority Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State Television (BSES), and Radio Ekiti. The city is a center for farming, where crops like yams, cassava, grain, tobacco, and cotton are grown. It also serves as a hub for various commercial activities.
8. ENUGU
Enugu is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It’s in the southeastern part of Nigeria. About 820,000 people live there. The name Enugu means “hilltop” in Igbo language because the city is hilly. It became a township in 1917 and was called Enugwu-Ngwo, but it was renamed Enugu in 1928 due to its growth.
In terms of education, Enugu has three main colleges: Enugu State University of Science & Technology (ESUT), the University of Nigeria (UNN), and the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT). There are also other schools like Federal Cooperative College and various universities.
Enugu has a tropical savanna climate with high humidity from March to November. The rainy season brings about 2,000 millimeters of rainfall annually. There’s also a dusty wind called Harmattan in December and January. Enugu, like the rest of Nigeria, is hot all year round.
7. ABA
Aba is a city in Nigeria’s southeast and the main business hub of Abia State. In 1991, Aba was split into two parts, Aba South and Aba North, when Abia State was formed. Aba South is the central part of Abia State and is located by the Aba River. Aba is made up of various villages like Aba-Ukwu, Eziukwu-Aba, Obuda-Aba, Umuokpoji-Aba, and others that merged for administrative convenience. It was founded by the Ngwa clan of Igbo people in Nigeria as a market town, and the British colonial administration established a military post there in 1901.
Aba is situated on the west bank of the Aba River and serves as a crossroads for roads leading to Port Harcourt, Owerri, Umuahia, Ikot Ekpene, and Ikot-Abasi. It became a major center for agricultural products when a railway was built connecting it to Port Harcourt. Aba is known for its skilled craftsmen and is the most populous city in Southeastern Nigeria, with an estimated population of 2,534,265 in 2016.
The climate in Aba is tropical, with significant rainfall throughout the year and a short dry season. The average temperature is 25.6 °C or 78.2 °F, and the annual rainfall is about 2747 mm or 108.1 inches.
Because Aba is close to the equator, it’s challenging to define distinct summers. Traveling in January, February, March, April, May, November, and December is ideal due to the climate.
6. ILORIN
Ilorin is the capital city of Kwara State in Nigeria. It’s in the North Central region. In 2006, it had about 777,667 people, making it the 7th largest city in Nigeria. The city has a mix of old-style houses with straw roofs and many mosques surrounded by a mud wall. Ilorin is a place for industry, business, and learning.
The weather in Ilorin is hot and rainy. It can rain between 39 and 52 inches a year. The temperature can go from 91.4 to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, with the hottest time being in March. The wind usually comes from the southeast or northeast.
Ilorin has several universities and educational institutions. There’s the University of Ilorin (Unilorin), Al-Hikmah University Ilorin, and Kwara State University (Kwasu). The city also has the Federal Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute and schools for teachers and vocational training. It has hospitals and a nursing home for older people.
Additionally, there are other educational institutions like the International Aviation College, Emmanuel Baptist College, Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies, Kwara State College of Education, Kwara State Polytechnic, and Unilorin Secondary School in Ilorin.
5. IFE
Ifẹ̀, also known as Ilé-Ifẹ̀, is also one of the greatest places to live in Nigeria. This beautiful city is a very old Yoruba city in southwest Nigeria. Recent archaeological estimates suggest it was founded between the 10th and 6th century BC, making it the oldest among Yoruba city-states. It’s in Osun State and about 218 kilometers northeast of Lagos. Over 500,000 people live there, making it the most populated city in Osun State.
Ilé-Ifè is renowned globally for its ancient sculptures made of bronze, stone, and terracotta, dating back to 1200-1400 CE.
The climate in Ifẹ̀ is hot and muggy during the dry season, with high temperatures year-round, while the wet season is oppressive and overcast. The average annual temperature ranges from 66 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ife is home to well-known universities like Obafemi Awolowo University and Oduduwa University. It also has attractions like the Natural History Museum of Nigeria. The region is agriculturally productive, producing vegetables, grain, cocoa, tobacco, and cotton. Ifẹ̀ has several open markets, including Oja Titun and Odo-gbe market, with around 1,500 shops.
In terms of development, the central area of Ilé Ifè is more advanced, with modern houses, good roads, constant electricity, and security in areas like Parakin, Eleyele, Modomo, Damico, and Crown Estate Area.
4. ABEOKUTA
Abeokuta is the capital of Ogun State in Nigeria. It’s on the east side of the Ogun River, near some rocky areas in a savanna. It’s 77 kilometers (48 miles) north of Lagos by train or 130 kilometers (81 miles) by water. In 2006, about 449,088 people lived there.
The weather in Abeokuta is hot for around 3.1 months, from January to April. The hottest month is March, with an average high of 93°F and a low of 76°F.
There’s also a cooler season for about 3.0 months, from June to September. August is the coldest month, with an average low of 73°F and a high of 84°F.
3. IBADAN
Ibadan is a big city in Nigeria, and it’s the capital of Oyo State. It has a lot of people, around 3.6 million in 2021, and even more in the surrounding area, over 6 million. Ibadan used to be the biggest city in Nigeria when Nigeria became independent in 1960. It’s now the third-largest city after Lagos and Kano. Ibadan is also really big in terms of land area. According to the UN, it’s the second-fastest-growing city in Africa, and it’s doing well in tech startups in West Africa. Ibadan joined the UNESCO network of learning cities in 2016.
In Ibadan, you can find plenty of places to have fun, like bars, lounges, and nightclubs. One of the oldest nightclubs in the city is called “KOKO Dome,” and it’s been around since the 1990s.
The weather in Ibadan is like this: there’s a rainy season from March to October, with a little break in August. After that, from November to February, it’s the dry season, and it gets dusty with something called harmattan. It rains the most in June and September. The temperature is around 26.5°C on average, and it doesn’t change much throughout the year. It’s a bit humid too, around 74.5%.
When it comes to education, Ibadan is home to the University of Ibadan, which is Nigeria’s top university. It started as a part of the University of London in 1948 but became its own university in 1962. There are other colleges and universities in the city too, some other important places in the city include the University College Hospital, Ibadan, which is Nigeria’s first teaching hospital, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), known worldwide for its research on farming and development in tropical countries.
2. ABUJA
Second on the list of the greatest places to live in Nigeria is Abuja, Nigeria’s capital and the eighth-largest city. It’s in the middle of the country in the Federal Capital Territory.
The weather in Abuja is tropical, with rainy and dry seasons. The rainy season is from April to October, with temperatures around 28-30°C during the day and 22-23°C at night. In the dry season, it can get scorching, with daytime temperatures up to 40°C and nighttime temperatures as low as 15°C.
Abuja gets more rainfall because of its location near the Jos Plateau, with frequent rain from April to October. Climate change has affected Abuja, with rising minimum and mean temperatures and less rainfall.
Abuja is known for its good post-secondary education, with many public and private universities:
African University of Science and Technology
Baze University
National Open University of Nigeria
Nile University of Nigeria
University of Abuja
Veritas University
Philomath University
There are also international schools like Centagon International School, American International School of Abuja, Whiteplains British School, and École Française Marcel Pagnol, among others.
1. LAGOS
Lagos State is the greatest place to live in Nigeria. It has the biggest city in Nigeria, Lagos City.
The weather in Lagos is tropical, with a rainy season from March to October and a dry season from November to February. June is the wettest month, and January is the driest.
Lagos is a hub for the film, music, and TV industries in West Africa. The film industry is one of the biggest globally, with high-quality movies that make a lot of money. Newspapers are mostly digital in Lagos, with Punch being the most popular. TV channels like Channels TV and Arise TV are widely watched. Some programs in pidgin English or Yoruba are available on streaming services.
Lagos is also significant in the pharmaceutical industry, hosting about 60% of Africa’s pharmaceutical production capacity. Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd is one of the biggest companies.
The Dangote Group is building an oil refinery in Lagos, expected to be operational in 2022. It will create many jobs and help Nigeria process its own oil.
Lagos has a diverse education system, from primary to university level. There are vocational schools, polytechnics, and universities like the University of Lagos, Lagos State University, and Pan-Atlantic University.
In summary, Lagos State is a dynamic and one of the greatest places to Live in Nigeria, known for its thriving entertainment industry, pharmaceutical sector, and educational institutions.