The Most Beautiful Cities in Nigeria (2023)

What is the most beautiful city in Nigeria? is it Abuja nor Lagos state nor Kaduna the most beautiful city in Nigeria?

This is one question many tourists or elites citizens ask themselves when they want to either go for a vacation or change their residence.

Nigeria is well known as one of the best tourist centres in Africa and a particular state attracts over 80% of these tourists that come to Nigeria.

Apart from that, it has become a centre of attraction for many residents leaving outside its boundaries. This is no other than “Lagos State.” The centre of excellence.

In here, we will be looking at:

• A brief history of Lagos state
• What makes Lagos state the most beautiful city in Nigeria?
• Best recreational and nature centres in Lagos state
• Best places to live in Lagos state
• Is Lagos state secured?
• Is Lagos expensive to live in?

A Brief History of Lagos State

Lagos state is known as the gem of Africa. It is the most popular city in West Africa and the most industrious city in sub-Saharan Africa. The funny thing here is that it is the smallest state by landmass

Lagos State was created on the 27^th of May, 1967, in the western region. It was the capital of Nigeria until 1991 when it was shifted to Abuja. Although presently not the federal capital, it remains the commercial capital of the nation.

What Makes Lagos State the Most Beautiful City in Nigeria?

The two factors that contributed to making Lagos state outstanding among other states in Nigeria is that they have:

• The best recreational and nature attractions centres (including 5-star hostels)
• The most beautiful residential places with the best architectures in Nigeria

Now, we will be looking at each of them.

The Best Recreational and Nature Attraction Centers in Lagos State

The best nature parks or centres in Lagos state that is worth a visit even it is once in a lifetime are:

• Lekki Conservation Centre
• LUFASI Nature park
• Tarkwa Bay beach
• Johnson Jakande Tinubu park
• Atican Beach
• Eleko Beach
• Gberefu Island (point of no return)
• Napex Beach Store
• Green Fingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative
• Landmark Beach
• Redline leisure Beach Resorts

Apart from these nature parks, Lagos is the home of the best 5 stars hotels in the country. They are:

1. Eko Hotels and Suites
2. Lagos Continental Hotel
3. Radisson Blu Anchorage hotel
4. The George Hotel
5. The Wheatbaker
6. The Yacht hotel

The Best Places to live in Lagos State, Nigeria

The 5 best places to live in Lagos are:

1. Ikoyi

This is the home of the affluent in Nigeria. This is where most multi-millionaires and billionaires live in Nigeria. This neighbourhood is very quiet and it is the safest place to live in Lagos. The security here is top-notch.

Although housing is very expensive here. On an average scale, houses are sold hold between N 450 million to N 6 billion.

2. Lekki

This is the abode of celebrities (ranging from Nollywood to musical artists) in Nigeria. 70% of Nigerian celebrities have a house in lekki.

Lekki provides one of the best residential settings in Lagos. Additionally, the architecture in this place is mad. If you have accumulated some money, you can try out living in lekki.

3. Yaba

Yaba is known as the Silicon Valley of Nigeria. This is because it is home to a majority of the tech companies in Nigeria. Examples are Andela, Co-Creation hub, etc.

To add to this, it accommodates the University of Lagos and Yaba College of education. This makes it one of the most sought after places on the mainland to live on.

4. Ikeja

Ikeja is known as the business centre in Lagos. It is the home of the majority of the companies in Nigeria. In addition, it accommodates the majority of the government parastatals in Lagos.

The Government Residential Area is one of the best places to live in. it is patterned to give you a perfect home experience.

5. Magodo

Magodo lies on the outskirts of Lagos. Although, it has proximity to Ikeja and Ojodu Berger.

To that, it is known to house some affluent personalities in society. Although in terms of accessibility, it doesn’t rank well.

Is Lagos State secured?

There is the story people were being told about Lagos that makes many think it isn’t secure.

What is the story?

Growing up, we were told that the capital territory was shifted from Lagos to Abuja in 1991 because the government felt that Lagos was not safe at all. The point given was that Lagos can be accessed by the three means of transportation;  water, air and land. So it can easily be attacked.

But is that the case?

Categorically, Lagos is both safe and not safe. Confusing right? No, you don’t have to be. The security of Lagos is dependent on the area. For example, places like ikoyi and lekki are known to be the most secured residential places in the whole of the country.

But, places like Mushin, Ajegunle and Oshodi can be dangerous to live in. These places are known to house hoodlums.

So if you are choosing a place of abode in Lagos, I will advise you to go for the islands. Only a few mainland areas like Yaba, and Ikeja and a few others are safe.

Is Lagos State Expensive to Live in?

Yes, Lagos is expensive to live in. According to statistics given by Numbeo, it is estimated that a single person’s monthly cost is N216, 476 without rent.

Although fresh food on its own is not very expensive. What is making Lagos expensive is housing and property costs in addition to transportation costs.

Conclusion

Although being the most beautiful city, it is still one of the most expensive cities to live in Nigeria. There is this adage in Pidgin that says, “better soup, na money kill em”.

Trust me, if you haven’t visited Lagos, you are missing it. Start making your arrangement and you can visit any of the listed nature parks to get a once in a lifetime nature experience.