It is an indisputable fact that Owerri, the capital of IMO state, has continued to witness an upsurge in terms of property/estate development in recent times, more than its contemporaries. Irrespective of the fast rising profile of Owerri, a lot of people are still at a loss on why Owerri is enjoying a relatively high standard of living, considering a dearth of industries or glut in terms of commercial activities. Because of this irony, or will I say; a quagmire, I decided to do a research on why Owerri has defied the odds to become a prime destination for estate development in the East of the Niger. Below are the facts I was able to glean, which has contributed in no small measure to Owerri's emergence as a top destination in Nigeria's property market.

(1) Strategic location; Calabar maybe more beautiful, Uyo might have better infrastructure, Enugu could still retain the toga of Eastern capital while Port Harcourt could be the oil capital but one thing Owerri has more than the aforementioned cities, is its strategic location, in between the commercial cities of Onitsha/Aba & the cities of N.Delta. A lot of people now make their money in those cities only to spend it in Owerri thereby keeping consumer spending high in Owerri.

(2)Peace and Serenity; The peaceful and serene nature of Owerri hugely contrasts with the frustrating traffic gridlocks of P.Harcourt, the chaos of Aba, the pulsating urban jungle of Lagos and the bedlam of Onitsha, so many folks in these cities are now building private estates in Owerri, were they can periodically escape to and have peace of mind.

(3) Insecurity in the North; It used to be the norm for Igbos to build both private estates and plazas in the North with reckless abandon, but now with the boko haram and other security issues bedeviling the North, a lot of Igbos are not just relocating back to the East but are now moving their assets with them. They would now rather build their estate in Owerri than Maiduguri.

(4) Good infrastructure; Though this could be controversial but the facts on ground still proves that Owerri still harbours good roads, a busy airport, standard relaxation facilities, neat and well illuminated streets, a good nightlife etc and this has made many people to feel at home in Owerri.

(5) Returns on Investment; Due to high consumer spending by both tourists and FDI of Igbo diaspora, coupled with the existence of several higher institutions within close proximity of each other, returns on property has remained very high.

Mr lalasticalla your attention is needed here pls!

To me owerre is too attractive to behold, I don't know of other factor cause I only passes through the city not living there.

hisgrace090:
To me owerre is too attractive to behold, I don't know of other factor cause I only passes through the city not living there.

I concur with you, but you can make out chance and visit the city, I can personally take you round as a tour guide, if its on a Sunday.