Liveair: Well, going by the meaning of a Cosmopolis I would say the order is thus;
1. LAGOS - Just about everyone and everything is represented in lagos. Lots of Non Nigerians too.

2. PORT HARCOURT - There is no tribe not well represented in PH. Average cab driver is Yoruba, almost all car/parts dealers are Ibo and Hausas have several scattered settlements all around PH.
The average Restaurant is managed by Efik/Ibibio.

3. ABUJA - Abuja has an almost equal dose of all the above but also a large presence of the original dwellers and Hausa language is strong in certain places.

when last did you visit abuja? i think igbo has become the a major language in abuja

tayokem: Lagos noooo niiii oooo

which lagos?

I am not sure about the most cosmopolitan city in Nigeria,but I am sure Jos city is very much of a cosmopolitan city. Everyone (at least to me) feels at home. I schooled in Jos & I still feel like that place is home anyday, anytime.

Eko Ile:



Omo onile has nothing to do with cosmopolitan, this sounds more like a refelction of your own prejudice and they don't make laws targeting any minority groups in Lagos. It's called Nigeria's melting pot for a reason and also, lagos is the smallest and still th most populated place in Nigeria for a reason and the reason remains the fact that it's the most welcoming and tolerant place in Nigeria and if ABUJA is, why is Abuja not overflowing with 20 million Nigerians?.


There is nothign cosmopolitan About Abuja and Abuja is a city with no soul and destiny and it doesn't represent the average Nigerian's hope and aspirations.

To be welcoming and multicultural which is the major definition of cosmopolitan doesn't apply to Abuja since it's a place where laws are made to deny a segment of Nigerian their rights and even impose decades of years in jail. Cosmopolitan means inclusive and not exclusive like leaving any group out or behing.

Abuja as an entity is a represive place where common freedon of speech is not respected, it's a place where ordinary news reporters are thrown in jail and oppositions are hunted down like dogs.


This conversation is just conversation anyways because it's not only a know fact that Lagos is the most cosmopolitan place in Nigeria since the begining of Nigeria and it still is, but it's also documented and refer to as such...

Ordinary google coud have asnwered your question without this needless discusion.

In the past, Lagos was the most cosmopolitan city by virtue of its status as a Federal territory. However with the emergence of Abuja, Lagos returns to provincial authority which gradually erodes it inclusiveness. The only City that is all inclusive in Nigeria is Abuja, and this is due mainly to its federal character. It's only in Abuja that any Nigerian can contest an electoral office, irrespective of their state of origin. It's only in Abuja that any Nigerian can apply and be granted landed property, irrespective of their state of origin. Abuja is the only City in Nigeria where every Nigerian feels a sense of belonging.

Referring to Encyclopedia source to back up your view is Okay. However, the Encyclopedia had to rely on opinions of other writers and some views are already outdated. The acceptable definition of cosmopolitan has to do with an environment that is devoid of provincial influence. No city is devoid of provincial influence in Nigeria except Abuja.

I mentioned the Omo onile issue because that is one clear case of provincial influence in a cosmopolitan ambience. Lagos only comes after Abuja.

The cosmopolitan nature of cities in Nigeria is relative and can be divided into "Ethnicity" and "Language".

While Ordinarily Lagos is supposed to win this hands down because every ethnic group is represented in Lagos in reasonable numbers even though Yorubas are still the majority followed by Igbos, there are other factors while some other cities might beat Lagos.

Lagos despite it's diversity, is a city that is still been controlled politically by Yorubas, so it's a minus. But it's not the same with Abuja, so in that regard Abuja holds the ace.

Yoruba language still dominates even ahead of Pidgin English(i'm not really sure though). At worst it will be levelled. Compare it to cities like Port-hacourt where despite the fact that Igbos dominate the city, pidgin english is more widely used in public compared to Igbo or any other language. The same thing applies to Benin and Warri where pidgin is like the lingua franca as opposed to Bini, Urhobo, Isoko, Itsekiri, Ijaw. So, it makes everybody to feel at home.

I also heard that Jos is cpsmopolitan but i've never been there but seeing celebrities who grew up in Jos is a testament to that fact.

I want to believe Enugu is the most cosmopolitan city in the east but according to Nigeriam standards, it's a highly Igbotic city. Same goes for other cities in the SE and SW apart from Ibadan. But i should think Ibadan is more cosmopolitan than Enugu owing to it's closeness to Lagos.

percipi1:

In the past, Lagos was the most cosmopolitan city by virtue of its status as a Federal territory. However with the emergence of Abuja, Lagos returns to provincial authority which gradually erodes it inclusiveness. The only City that is all inclusive in Nigeria is Abuja, and this is due mainly to its federal character. It's only in Abuja that any Nigerian can contest an electoral offiice, irrespective of their state of origin. It's only in Abuja that any Nigerian can apply and be granted landed property, irrespective of their state of origin. Abuja is the only City in Nigeria where every Nigerian feels a sense of belonging.

Referring to Encyclopedia source to back up your view is Okay. However, the Encyclopedia had to rely on opinions of other writers and some views are already outdated. The acceptable definition of cosmopolitan has to do with an environment that is devoid of provincial influence. No city is devoid of provincial influence in Nigeria except Abuja.

I mentioned the Omo onile issue because that is one clear case of provincial influence in a cosmopolitan ambience. Lagos only comes after Abuja.

All the reasons you gave has nothing to do with cosmopolitan and by clear definition of the word cosmopolitan, its still lagos.


You can dispute encyclopedia all you want, but its a valid source of global knowledge

Every reference regarding the most cosmopolitan city in Nigeria is lagos and not abuja...

Nigeria’s most cosmopolitan city takes advantage of the sophistication of the host state. Lagos- the so called center of excellence.

http://www.abujafood.com/lifestyle/116-crunch/879-top-5-universities-in-nigeria-2012.pdf

Eevn Abuja exparts gave the bill to Lagos...

If you ve ever been outside the country you wld know dat lagos is the only state foreigners know in Nigeria.Lagos is Nigeria Nigeria is lagos Though this is nt d subject of discussion here.I don't think the fact that yoruba language is d major language in lagos or d fact that its politics is run by yorubas changes the fact that all tribes in Nigeria has a gud number of community in lagos To me is still the most cosmopolitan city in Nigeria.

If you ve ever been outside the country you wld know dat lagos is the only state foreigners know in Nigeria.Lagos is Nigeria Nigeria is lagos Though this is nt d subject of discussion here.I don't think the fact that yoruba language is d major language in lagos or d fact that its politics is run by yorubas changes the fact that all tribes in Nigeria has a gud number of community in lagos To me is still the most cosmopolitan city in Nigeria.

delors:
They already played yesterday na...its AFCON by the way. 15 - 15...Chelsea won on aggregate 15 - 24.

this is funny

delors:
They already played yesterday na...its AFCON by the way. 15 - 15...Chelsea won on aggregate 15 - 24.

this is funny

bakynes: If you ve ever been outside the country you wld know dat lagos is the only state foreigners know in Nigeria.Lagos is Nigeria Nigeria is lagos Though this is nt d subject of discussion here.I don't think the fact that yoruba language is d major language in lagos or d fact that its politics is run by yorubas changes the fact that all tribes in Nigeria has a gud number of community in lagos To me is still the most cosmopolitan city in Nigeria.

we all know the reasons y it is so. Dont we?

Comparing Lagos with other parts of nigeria is like comparing new york with north or south carolina on relatives terms.Because even lagos,as posh as it may seem to some local people is not as functional an average deprive area in a normal city where people collectively reason as a society.

Lagos is the "capital" of nigeria and it should be the apple of eye of the people.The people's resources were pumped into building it,just like the present abuja.

Eko Ile:


All the reasons you gave has nothing to do with cosmopolitan and by clear definition of the word cosmopolitan, its still lagos.


You can dispute encyclopedia all you want, but its a valid source of global knowledge

Every reference regarding the most cosmopolitan city in Nigeria is lagos and not abuja...

I will suggest that we start by trying to understand the meaning of the word Cosmopolitan. cos•mo•pol•i•tan (ˌkɒz məˈpɒl ɪ tn)

adj.
1. belonging to all the world; not limited to the politics, interests, or prejudices of one part of the world.
2. of or characteristic of a cosmopolite; worldly; sophisticated.
3. (of an animal, plant, etc.) widely distributed over the globe.
n.
4. a person who is free from local, provincial, or national bias or attachment; citizen of the world; cosmopolite.

Applying the above to the Nigerian city context confirms that there are no genuine cosmopolitan city in NIGERIA, Abuja because of its federal character fits the bill more than any other city. Have you ever wonder why no non-Yoruba is in the Lagos state House of Assembly. Lagos is sophisticated but still encumbered with ethnic prejudice like any other Nigerian city. ABUJA is the only exception.

At the end of the day, i think it's between Lagos and Abuja.

I noticed that port-hacourt has more people from the old eastern region(Igbo, Ijaw, Efik/Ibibio etc) than people from other parts unlike in Lagos where everybody is represented in a large way. But there's something about Lagos that makes it still retain Yorubaness no matter the number of non-Yorubas there. Despite the huge population of Igbos in lagos, the Yorubas are still doing strong head. I think it's more difficult to overrun a Yoruba town than it will be to overrun a town originality owned by a minority group. If Benin or Warri was a former capital territory for example, Igbos and maybe Yorubas would have overun that place that it will be very hard to notice the locals. They will just become like the American Indians.

percipi1:

I will suggest that we start by trying to understand the meaning of the word Cosmopolitan. cos•mo•pol•i•tan (ˌkɒz məˈpɒl ɪ tn)

adj.
1. belonging to all the world; not limited to the politics, interests, or prejudices of one part of the world.
2. of or characteristic of a cosmopolite; worldly; sophisticated.
3. (of an animal, plant, etc.) widely distributed over the globe.
n.
4. a person who is free from local, provincial, or national bias or attachment; citizen of the world; cosmopolite.

Applying the above to the Nigerian city context confirms that there are no genuine cosmopolitan city in NIGERIA, Abuja because of its federal character fits the bill more than any other city. Have you ever wonder why no non-Yoruba is in the Lagos state House of Assembly. Lagos is sophisticated but still encumbered with ethnic prejudice like any other Nigerian city. ABUJA is the only exception.

That's the point that i was making. It's all encompassing.

Afam4eva: At the end of the day, i think it's between Lagos and Abuja.

I noticed that port-hacourt has more people from the old eastern region(Igbo, Ijaw, Efik/Ibibio etc) than people from other parts unlike in Lagos where everybody is represented in a large way. But there's something about Lagos that makes it still retain Yorubaness no matter the number of non-Yorubas there. Despite the huge population of Igbos in lagos, the Yorubas are still doing strong head. I think it's more difficult to overrun a Yoruba town than it will be to overrun a town originality owned by a minority group. If Benin or Warri was a former capital territory for example, Igbos and maybe Yorubas would have overun that place that it will be very hard to notice the locals. They will just become like the American Indians.

Thank you for your observation. Honestly speaking, the provincial nature of the cities in Nigeria is what gives ABUJA the upperhand. normally, Lagos, Port-Harcout, Ibadan, Enugu and Jos, should have beaten Abuja to the top spot. My take is that until we abolish the principle of state of origin, no city will be truly cosmopolitan.

Eko Ile:

Abuja is the opposite of what you stated because it is not welcoming to all and it's also a place where the rights of minorities are not only not recognized, but also legislated against with punitive laws and stiff jail sentences... It's a place full of degenerates like anti cosmopolitan homophobes and corrupt anti social elements..

People from all over the country are there only for a single and major reason and the reason is the seat of government and a place of work.

On holidays and holidays weekends, Abuja empties out to the real and.true cosmopolitan place which is lagos.. A place where as a nigerian, you don't have to look over your shoulders, where you are allowed to be yourself regardless or your religion, your language or tribal origin, your aget, sex or sex..ual orientation.

I really don't know why we are trying to turn logic on its head, can an Igbo man or edo man become governor of lagos, in Abuja, anybody can go for any elective post...weather it is legislated or at gun point, everybody feels they have equal stake in Abuja, don't forget that Laos enjoyed the same legislative cosmopolitanism as you u it for many years.

percipi1:

I will suggest that we start by trying to understand the meaning of the word Cosmopolitan. cos•mo•pol•i•tan (ˌkɒz məˈpɒl ɪ tn)

adj.
1. belonging to all the world; not limited to the politics, interests, or prejudices of one part of the world.
2. of or characteristic of a cosmopolite; worldly; sophisticated.
3. (of an animal, plant, etc.) widely distributed over the globe.
n.
4. a person who is free from local, provincial, or national bias or attachment; citizen of the world; cosmopolite.

Applying the above to the Nigerian city context confirms that there are no genuine cosmopolitan city in NIGERIA, Abuja because of its federal character fits the bill more than any other city. Have you ever wonder why no non-Yoruba is in the Lagos state House of Assembly. Lagos is sophisticated but still encumbered with ethnic prejudice like any other Nigerian city. ABUJA is the only exception.

I'm really not interested in your personally formulated prejudicial opinion though warped. I've shown you 2 factual references qualifying Lagos as the most cosmopolitan city in Nigerians and even one from Abuja, but you are yet to show me one qualifying Abuja as anything so all you have is baseless air talk with no facts....

Cosmopolitan may refer to:

Internationalism
A city/place or person that embraces its multicultural demographics
World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship
Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community
Cosmopolitan Society/Cosmopolitan City, where people of many ethnicities, religions and cultures meet and live in close proximity (especially applied to busy sea ports).


After reading this I think am inclined to change my opinion.Lagos embraces multi-ethnicity.However,Abuja embraces all except for d fact dat am nt too sure Abuja accommodates all tribe in Nigeria
Bt it still accomodates the three major tribes in Nigeria wit little from other tribes so I think it shd go to Abuja.If the topic were to be d most multi-ethnic city dat wld ve gone to lagos.But the fact still remains that lagos is the only state known to most Non-Nigerians.Am yoruba and am from lagos by the way

Afam4eva: At the end of the day, i think it's between Lagos and Abuja.

I noticed that port-hacourt has more people from the old eastern region(Igbo, Ijaw, Efik/Ibibio etc) than people from other parts unlike in Lagos where everybody is represented in a large way. But there's something about Lagos that makes it still retain Yorubaness no matter the number of non-Yorubas there. Despite the huge population of Igbos in lagos, the Yorubas are still doing strong head. I think it's more difficult to overrun a Yoruba town than it will be to overrun a town originality owned by a minority group. If Benin or Warri was a former capital territory for example, Igbos and maybe Yorubas would have overun that place that it will be very hard to notice the locals. They will just become like the American Indians.

They will be placed in reservations soon,plagued with alcohol and drug addiction,if they continue like ekoile.

DaLover:

I really don't know why we are trying to turn logic on its head, can an Igbo man or edo man become governor of lagos, in Abuja, anybody can go for any elective post...weather it is legislated or at gun point, everybody feels they have equal stake in Abuja, don't forget that Laos enjoyed the same legislative cosmopolitanism as you u it for many years.

The definition of cosmopolitan has nothing to do with who can be this or that so find something else to talk about....

eko ilee:


The definition of cosmopolitan has nothing to do with who can be this or that so find something else to talk about....

Will you be kind to provide your own definition of Cosmopolitan please. This is an intellectual debate. if you disagree, you just have to provide your own definition, maybe we can reconsider our position. Until then Abuja it is. the ayes have it. lol

eko ilee:


The definition of cosmopolitan has nothing to do with who can be this or that so find something else to talk about....

So what defines a city as cosmopolitan, because Abuja has everything lagos has, except lagos has a higher population and more commercial, is that ur definition of cosmopolitan? All ethnic groups are well represented in Abuja....what else,
The edging factor for Abuja is the sense of belonging by its inhabitants..

seunfly: I don't think u should base ur judgment on cheating in market cos of Language barrier, i think average Hausa marketers is little more honest in trading his wares than average southerners generally due to what they term over smartness.
However city being cosmopolitan can be determined by
1) Style of living.
2) Blends of rich cultures from diffrent ethnic groups.
3) How independent peaple can express their selves without any cultural, tribal, religious and social hindrance.
4) Financial potency of such city.
5)population of such city.
If u put all this together i will like to rank it in this other:
1) Lagos
2) Abuja
3) pourtharcourt
this are the cities that u will believe to be more cosmopolitan in nature. U can speak any language and the next person u sit with in a bus will reply u back, u can walk out of ur house and find Calabar kitchen opposite ur house.
Uchena and kunle will be sharing shop and hausa, yoruba or igbo man may be ur cab driver.
may be Kano, kaduna should have been on the list but nowadays peaple have reduced the way dy express them selve due to violence.
I think enugu and owerri are calm and beautifull cities but i doubt ur cab driver can be hausa or yoruba man. Ibadan, markudi, jos, yola, calabar and akure are big cities but i doubt ur next flat mate can understand ur language.

[b]

seunfly: I don't think u should base ur judgment on cheating in market cos of Language barrier, i think average Hausa marketers is little more honest in trading his wares than average southerners generally due to what they term over smartness.
However city being cosmopolitan can be determined by
1) Style of living.
2) Blends of rich cultures from diffrent ethnic groups.
3) How independent peaple can express their selves without any cultural, tribal, religious and social hindrance.
4) Financial potency of such city.
5)population of such city.
If u put all this together i will like to rank it in this other:
1) Lagos
2) Abuja
3) pourtharcourt
this are the cities that u will believe to be more cosmopolitan in nature. U can speak any language and the next person u sit with in a bus will reply u back, u can walk out of ur house and find Calabar kitchen opposite ur house.
Uchena and kunle will be sharing shop and hausa, yoruba or igbo man may be ur cab driver.
may be Kano, kaduna should have been on the list but nowadays peaple have reduced the way dy express them selve due to violence.
I think enugu and owerri are calm and beautifull cities but i doubt ur cab driver can be hausa or yoruba man. Ibadan, markudi, jos, yola, calabar and akure are big cities but i doubt ur next flat mate can understand ur language.

[/b]

seunfly: I don't think u should base ur judgment on cheating in market cos of Language barrier, i think average Hausa marketers is little more honest in trading his wares than average southerners generally due to what they term over smartness.
However city being cosmopolitan can be determined by
1) Style of living.
2) Blends of rich cultures from diffrent ethnic groups.
3) How independent peaple can express their selves without any cultural, tribal, religious and social hindrance.
4) Financial potency of such city.
5)population of such city.
If u put all this together i will like to rank it in this other:
1) Lagos
2) Abuja
3) pourtharcourt
this are the cities that u will believe to be more cosmopolitan in nature. U can speak any language and the next person u sit with in a bus will reply u back, u can walk out of ur house and find Calabar kitchen opposite ur house.
Uchena and kunle will be sharing shop and hausa, yoruba or igbo man may be ur cab driver.
may be Kano, kaduna should have been on the list but nowadays peaple have reduced the way dy express them selve due to violence.
I think enugu and owerri are calm and beautifull cities but i doubt ur cab driver can be hausa or yoruba man. Ibadan, markudi, jos, yola, calabar and akure are big cities but i doubt ur next flat mate can understand ur language.

I don't agree with you that Hausa traders are more honest. Maybe the one up North.

DaLover:
So what defines a city as cosmopolitan, because Abuja has everything lagos has, except lagos has a higher population and more commercial, is that ur definition of cosmopolitan? All ethnic groups are well represented in Abuja....what else,
The edging factor for Abuja is the sense of belonging by its inhabitants..

Yours is a sad case of inability to read and comprehend. What city is cosmopolitan or not which is cosmopolitan, it's which is the most .

If you think abuja is cosmopolitan, fine, that's your opinion, but the keyword here is most...

It's even really absurd and ignorant to suggest that a city with less than a million people is more cosmopolitan than a city with 20 million people from every corner of Nigeria.

Only on NL you read the dumbest nonsense...

eko ilee:
It's even really absurd and ignorant to suggest that a city with less than a million people is more cosmopolitan than a city with 20 million people from every corner of Nigeria.

Dude, it has nothing to do with population. Even a city with 100 people can be more cosmopolita than a city with 1 billion people. So, yank off that.

Afam4eva:
Dude, it has nothing to do with population. Even a city with 100 people can be more cosmopolita than a city with 1 billion people. So, yank off that.

There are more people in lagos from all over Nigeria than the entire population of abuja many times over....


Are you ready to categorically assert with facts that lagos is not the most cosmopolitan city in Nigeria or that Abuja is the most cosmopolitan city in Nigeria??

I'm even daring you to so give it a shot if you can...

fados4sure: Lagos
Benin City
and PH

nah it should be Lagos then PH B4 anywhere else

bakynes: Cosmopolitan may refer to:

Internationalism
A city/place or person that embraces its multicultural demographics
World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship
Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community
Cosmopolitan Society/Cosmopolitan City, where people of many ethnicities, religions and cultures meet and live in close proximity (especially applied to busy sea ports).


After reading this I think am inclined to change my opinion.Lagos embraces multi-ethnicity.However,Abuja embraces all except for d fact dat am nt too sure Abuja accommodates all tribe in Nigeria
Bt it still accomodates the three major tribes in Nigeria wit little from other tribes so I think it shd go to Abuja.If the topic were to be d most multi-ethnic city dat wld ve gone to lagos.But the fact still remains that lagos is the only state known to most Non-Nigerians.Am yoruba and am from lagos by the way

Now according to ur definition and conclusion I got these question for you, If a kid born in Lagos say 1980 and schools in Lagos tell me what local language would he or she addopt, put that in perspective with Abuja and PH, you will get your answer