₦airaland Forum

IyfeNamikaze:
It's not about having clubs and restaurants in abundance, it's the quality that matters . Ibadan doesn't have anything close to the level of Asia town, The Red Coral, Native Tray or even Spice Route.
As for sites, there is the Ifoko beach, Tourist beach and Bonny Island beach. Then there is the Garden city Amusement park, pleasure park, there's also the Polo club where you can go hang out in a picnic while watching horses galloping up and down the lush green. There's also the Zoo, the colorful Mile 1 street market.

PH is a cool place to visit, better than Ibadan

IyfeNamikaze:
First let's talk about Size and population.

A town is typically smaller than a city when it comes to population and size, it's population normally ranges from a few hundred to may be a thousands. But a City is Larger, with a population that is usually higher than tens of thousands to a million+

Cities also are more urbanized than towns, and also more developed with a greater emphasis on modernization and progress.

Also when it comes to infrastructure, towns tends to have a more basic infrastructure like smaller roads, very few public services and limited amenities, whereas cities have a more developed infrastructure including schools , hospitals, Larger roads and intricate road networks, public transport and a wider range of amenities like malls and shopping center

With this, in the case of Akwa ibom, Uyo is a City, Eket or ikot abasi may be considered as towns. In the case of Enugu, it's town would be Nsukka while Enugu city is a City.

IyfeNamikaze:
I know Oshogbo, I've been there, spent a week before going back. There's nothing there. The food is wack, not the nite life nor the vibe. Oshogbo is a town, not a city and the town doesn't have much attraction to it.

SmartyPants:
No, that's not true. Central Ibadan is quite clean and has nice spacious roads. There are razz parts of course but if you're a middle class person nothing should really concern you with those parts. Where did you stay when you were in Ibadan?

MrNipplesLover:
A friend of mine who has been going to Uyo for work lately been dey hype that state...

According to him, Lagos is no where close to Uyo in terms of organization and peace....

Him even tell me say their transportation system is in its own class, with good road...

Talk about beauty, calmness, peacefulness, Uyo beats Lagos hands down....

Him say I should try visiting, say girls dem yakpa for me wey be say I be ashawo boy...

And I believe am cos his gist and info dey always be 100%.

Dude no dey cap...

Risingblue008:
What's ibadan doing in that list?

U no even talk of
Benin
Asaba
Calabar
Even ebonyi,

Haaa,ibadan?
Na waoo,

danzaki63:
Tell us why Minna. Jos, Kano, Kaduna and Maiduguri did not make this list?

dkidd:
Well for me If it's not Lagos no need. I have stayed in Abuja and Ibadan and both cities are cool but Abuja if U no really dey connected to the government or have a very high paying job U go suffer. To get updates as a normal hustling guy U go die first and I'm talking both legal and illegal. Food is cheap yes accomodation is not. The roads are super good and the lifestyle is okay but too political for me. U will just be living a basic life and U.

Ibadan on the other hand is quiet but then it's not where someone who wants to attain their full potential should be. If Ur okay with just surviving and staying simple then by all means.

But U see Lagos no matter how it gets U will survive by any means just be willing. U won't just survive, there's a lot of opportunities and options to make way for urself. Just stay alive and keep pushing.

Leaving Lagos to another city in Naija is like living life on reverse. It's better U just move out if U must leave Lagos. Except U are retiring to somewhere close to home in old age.

DeepSight:
Thank you, but you didn't say anything we didn't already know.



The mere fact that Enugu and Uyo are bigger than the smaller towns around them does not necessarily make them cities. When you compare them to real cities, one sees that they remain towns. I am even more inclined to concede to Uyo being a city than I am inclined to concede to Enugu being one. Uyo is more metropolitan and with certain facilities is bigger (E.g: The stadium).

Lagos can stand beside the biggest cities in the world and still be called a city. It can never be called a town. But if you put Enugu beside a New York you will understand why I call it a town.

As for places like Eket, the truth is that they are more like well built villages. Don't keep imagining that a village is a place with mud huts.

OriOko88:
I think it's travesty to say Ibadan is the third largest city in Nigeria. Ibadan tht I know is the biggest in Nigeria in terms of land mass. I been to Ibadan,Lagos and kano. Ibadan is bigger than both .

masterfactor:
Abuja over Lagos anytime, anyday, anywhere, anyhow. I cannot be having high blood pressure on top my money.

DeepSight:
None of these are cities. They are all towns.

DissTroy:
reaoy@gmail.com

Please edit out the mail when you respond so I'd edit.

While there's a lot of publicity for tech events in Uyo, Ikot Ekpene or Eket, your social media algorithm has to be already trained so such things turn up on your timeline. My timeline on Twitter and Facebook is decluttered to show tech, startup, and personal development posts.

Top tech talents recruiters within and outside Nigeria throng into Uyo too.

The viannual Google Developer Circle comes up soon so your in luck.

Broveens42:
Shows you don't know what a city means....


Abuja and owerri

Definition: A city is a place where many people live together. They usually have large systems of houses, as well as ways of communicating and keeping the city clean.

1. Owerri has a more built up CBD than Abuja
2. Owerri has a more efficient intra-city transport system(bus imo)
3. Owerri has more road connections than ikeja
4. Owerri is the only city in Nigeria that looks beautiful when you do an aerial view of 4 cardinal points from same spot(I challenge you to disprove this)
5. Owerri has an underground drainage system that leads to Nworie River.
6. Owerri has a functional fire service system
7. Owerri has the best e-governance system; they are a tech hub
8. Inspite of security challenges, owerri still leads in night life, while others are just pretenders
9. The urban planning in owerri is world class, with an iconic land mark (inland bypasses) connecting old and new owerri
10. It is a holiday destination for visitors who wish to explore the hospitality industry


Many people who had the opportunity to own a home in owerri, but misused it, live in regret till date

DeepSight:
Bros, it's obvious Owerri is your hometown. Go siddon.

SmartyPants:
The only thing you've mentioned that I will accept are beaches. And Ibadan residents can easily drive down to Lagos for the most spectacular beaches in Nigeria so that's really just a minor advantage.

From what I can see online the restaurants you shared are very average - I'm shocked you think there are no places like those in Ibadan. As I said, there is an abundance of such. Shandy's, Jay's Place, Five Continents, Ibachi...etc. There is at least one amusement park and UI still has probably the leading Zoo in the nation.

Not to mention historical and cultural sites of local and national relevance such as Bower's tower, Cocoa house and so on.

Have you actually been to Ibadan?

Broveens42:
When we spill facts, it's very difficult to challenge.
But I can understand for some who haven't visited owerri before.
Facts are difficult to dismiss...

This is owerri in December, 2024

Broveens42:
When we spill facts, it's very difficult to challenge.
But I can understand for some who haven't visited owerri before.
Facts are difficult to dismiss...

This is owerri in December, 2024

SmartyPants:
We should define the terms of reference clearly: the thread is about places where the average person can live well but you seem to be conflating this with cities that are nationally relevant. These are two parallel lines. In fact, it is arguable that the more relevant a city is in terms of national affairs, the less pleasant it will be to live there.

Now looking at the points you made, I don't see solid arguments:

1. Entertainment: What are the sophistication of entertainment options? What exactly is on offer? Don't forget that Ibadan is an hour to Lagos so if you feel the entertainment on offer is not sophisticated enough, you can sprint into Lagos for the luxuries that no other city in Nigeria quite has. Port Harcourt can't beat that. But again, you haven't mentioned what exactly is on offer that's so special.

2. Infrastructure: Ibadan has very good roads. It doesn't need bridges nor a Seaport, because Lagos. But again, how does a seaport make life better for the average person? Ibadan does have an Airport but this is not even really relevant because, again, Lagos.

3. Large parts of Ibadan are unsightly, but Ibadan is at least three times the size of Port Harcourt: the sightly part of Ibadan is almost as large as Port Harcourt itself. So the unsightly part of Ibadan can't stop anyone from living a great life here. Like I said, if you don't want to, you'll never have a reason to step foot in those places.

4. When you say international mix of people living there, how does that make it a better place for the average Nigeria to live there? In fact, clearly the effect will be to make the city pricier.

So if we stick to the research question, you haven't shown how Port Harcourt is better. Add to this the fact that Ibadan is much cheaper to live in and much safer both in terms of crime and environmental pollution, I don't see how you can make a case for Port Harcourt here. Finally, again, whatever you want that you can't find in Ibadan, you will find an hour away in Lagos.

SmartyPants:
No, that's not true. Central Ibadan is quite clean and has nice spacious roads. There are razz parts of course but if you're a middle class person nothing should really concern you with those parts. Where did you stay when you were in Ibadan?

Lanruze:
You have really done a classic submission on the sub-topic of the best cities to live in Nigeria.

Lagos is number one because of its vast opportunities as 60% of commercial activities for large corporates and SMEs including transactions are domiciled in Las-gidi. Yea, the hussle and bussle is not for the faint hearted but it's worth it.

I live in a place dominated by the Igbos and we see new entrants into Lagos hitting it big because of the chain of associates Ndi-Igbo ready to pull themselves up in the business pyramid.

No where comes close to Lagos for now from lower class in Ikorodu to Upper Middle class in Surulere ( Adeniran Ogunsanya, Adelabu etc), Ajah, Gbagada, Okota etc to HNIs like Banana Island, Ikoyi- Old, Lekki Phase 1, Victoria Island etc, Issac John Ikeja, Shonibare Estate Ikeja.

Ekó for show.

Ayéwádà.

Risingblue008:
What's ibadan doing in that list?

U no even talk of
Benin
Asaba
Calabar
Even ebonyi,

Haaa,ibadan?
Na waoo,

1x2x3:
Thanks

Myrepublic:
Money that Lagos will still take from you,with their mumu house rent rise,kids school fees,and bills upon bills.. If your business is not even big ,like so big,debts fit make you go village.

Ofemannnu:
Ibadan is better and has more infrastructures than all those places you mentioned.
Ibadan has more infrastructures and is more developed than the entire South East Igboland.

Alliswell248:
Its obvious you have never been to Ibadan.

A nice place.

I worked there for two years.

That is my second home.

I can't stay in Lagos.....

Ofemannnu:
Ibadan is better and has more infrastructures than all those places you mentioned.
Ibadan has more infrastructures and is more developed than the entire South East Igboland.