The following are lists of the most populous fully defined incorporated settlements in Nigeria by population. This page consists of three different tables, with different kinds of settlements; a list for "defined cities", listing the population, strictly within the defined city limits, a list for "urban area" population, and another list for the population within metropolitan areas.
Nigerian cities are categorized into three types; there is the "Metropolis", which is characterized by having more than one Local Government Areas (LGAs). These types of cities are usually formed when large municipalities are split into smaller LGAs, to aid efficient administration and management, when small towns grow and merge into existing large cities, or both; some are also formed when urban areas of multiple LGAs merge as a result of growth and are now fully defined as a single settlement, Another type of settlement is the "Municipality", which is basically an LGA that is fully defined as its own city or town. These types of cities are usually mid-sized, although some large cities also exist as a single LGA. The third type of settlement is the "village", which is basically grouped together with several other villages into one sizeable LGA.
The following table lists fully defined incorporated cities in Nigeria, with a population of at least 100,000, as declared by the Nigerian National Population Commission after the 2006 National census. [1] This list refers only to the population of individual cities within their defined limits, which does not include other distinct communities or extended suburban areas within urban agglomerations. A city is displayed in bold if it is a state or federal capital, and in italics if it is the most populous city in the state.
| Rank | City | State | 2006 census | Total area | Population density | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km2 | sq mi | per km2 | per sq mi | ||||
| 1 | Lagos [lower-alpha 1] | Lagos | 8,048,430 | 1,151.1 | 444.4 | 6,871 | 17,800 |
| 2 | Kano [lower-alpha 2] | Kano | 2,828,861 | 523.6 | 202.2 | 6,300 | 16,000 |
| 3 | Ibadan [lower-alpha 3] | Oyo | 2,559,853 | 563.1 | 217.4 | 985.13 | 2,551.5 |
| 4 | Benin City [lower-alpha 4] | Edo | 1,147,188 | 344.8 | 133.1 | 953 | 2,470 |
| 5 | Port Harcourt [lower-alpha 5] | Rivers | 1,005,904 | 394.5 | 152.3 | 2,726 | 7,060 |
| 6 | Aba [lower-alpha 6] | Abia | 1,002,265 | 163.7 | 63.2 | 7,400 | 19,000 |
| 7 | Jos [lower-alpha 7] | Plateau | 821,618 | 336.7 | 130.0 | 451 | 1,170 |
| 8 | Ilorin [lower-alpha 8] | Kwara | 777,667 | 149.3 | 57.6 | 1,016 | 2,630 |
| 9 | Abuja | FCT | 776,298 | 865.6 | 334.2 | 439 | 1,140 |
| 10 | Kaduna [lower-alpha 9] | Kaduna | 760,084 | 488.9 | 188.8 | 5,802 | 15,030 |
| 11 | Enugu [lower-alpha 10] | Enugu | 722,664 | 186.8 | 72.1 | 1,300 | 3,400 |
| 12 | Zaria [lower-alpha 11] | Kaduna | 695,089 | 132.3 | 51.1 | 1,234.6 | 3,198 |
| 13 | Ogbomosho [lower-alpha 12] | Oyo | 602,690 | 119.9 | 46.3 | ||
| 14 | Warri [lower-alpha 13] | Delta | 557,398 | 214.8 | 82.9 | ||
| 15 | Ikorodu | Lagos | 535,619 | 37.1 | 14.3 | 1,553 | 4,020 |
| 16 | Maiduguri | Borno | 521,492 | 194.7 | 75.2 | 3,807 | 9,860 |
| 17 | Ife [lower-alpha 14] | Osun | 509,035 | 56.1 | 21.7 | 291 | 750 |
| 18 | Bauchi | Bauchi | 493,810 | 187.2 | 72.3 | 134 | 350 |
| 19 | Akure | Ondo | 484,798 | 196.4 | 75.8 | 489 | 1,270 |
| 20 | Abeokuta | Ogun | 451,607 | 242.1 | 93.5 | 510 | 1,300 |
| 21 | Uyo [lower-alpha 15] | Akwa Ibom | 436,606 | 209.7 | 81.0 | 1,206 | 3,120 |
| 22 | Oyo [lower-alpha 16] | Oyo | 428,798 | 42 | 16 | 177 | 460 |
| 23 | Sokoto | Sokoto | 427,760 | 138 | 53 | ||
| 24 | Owerri | Imo | 401,873 | 201.1 | 77.6 | 729 | 1,890 |
| 25 | Yola [lower-alpha 17] | Adamawa | 392,854 | 119.8 | 46.3 | 473 | 1,230 |
| 26 | Calabar | Cross River | 371,022 | 118.8 | 45.9 | 910 | 2,400 |
| 27 | Umuahia [lower-alpha 18] | Abia | 359,230 | 121.1 | 46.8 | 933 | 2,420 |
| 28 | Ondo | Ondo | 358,430 | 32.2 | 12.4 | ||
| 29 | Minna [lower-alpha 19] | Niger | 348,788 | 112.1 | 43.3 | 209 | 540 |
| 30 | Lafia | Nasarawa | 330,712 | 89.8 | 34.7 | ||
| 31 | Okene | Kogi | 320,260 | 32.7 | 12.6 | 976.4 | 2,529 |
| 32 | Katsina | Katsina | 318,459 | 142.6 | 55.1 | 2,243 | 5,810 |
| - | Ikeja | Lagos | 313,196 | 49.92 | 19.27 | 6,274 | 16,250 |
| 33 | Nsukka | Enugu | 309,633 | 45.38 | 17.52 | ||
| 34 | Ado Ekiti | Ekiti | 308,621 | 114.2 | 44.1 | 1,053 | 2,730 |
| 35 | Awka | Anambra | 301,657 | 95.6 | 36.9 | ||
| 36 | Iseyin | Oyo | 286,700 | 45.2 | 17.5 | ||
| 37 | Mubi [lower-alpha 20] | Adamawa | 280,009 | 63.2 | 24.4 | ||
| 38 | Onitsha [lower-alpha 21] | Anambra | 261,604 | 121.2 | 46.8 | 5,030.8 | 13,030 |
| 39 | Sagamu | Ogun | 253,412 | 28.2 | 10.9 | ||
| 40 | Makurdi | Benue | 249,000 | 73.1 | 28.2 | ||
| 41 | Mokwa | Niger | 244,937 | 25.2 | 9.7 | 56.4 | 146 |
| 42 | Badagry | Lagos | 241,093 | 28.2 | 10.9 | 547 | 1,420 |
| 43 | Ilesa | Osun | 233,900 | 30.1 | 11.6 | ||
| 44 | Gombe | Gombe | 230,900 | 72.2 | 27.9 | ||
| 45 | Obafemi Owode | Ogun | 228,851 | 34.2 | 13.2 | 162 | 420 |
| 46 | Owo | Ondo | 218,886 | 27.3 | 10.5 | 213 | 550 |
| 47 | Suleja | Niger | 216,578 | 35.1 | 13.6 | 1,820 | 4,700 |
| 48 | Lavun | Niger | 209,917 | 35.1 | 13.6 | 74 | 190 |
| 49 | Potiskum | Yobe | 205,876 | 51.2 | 19.8 | 368 | 950 |
| 50 | Kukawa | Borno | 203,864 | 24.2 | 9.3 | 41.6 | 108 |
| 51 | Gusau | Zamfara | 201,200 | 81.2 | 31.4 | ||
| 52 | Iwo | Osun | 191,377 | 21.2 | 8.2 | 894 | 2,320 |
| 53 | Bida | Niger | 188,181 | 51.2 | 19.8 | 3,689 | 9,550 |
| 54 | Ugep | Cross River | 187,000 | 34.1 | 13.2 | ||
| 55 | Ijebu Ode | Ogun | 186,700 | 43.2 | 16.7 | ||
| 56 | Epe | Lagos | 181,409 | 33.2 | 12.8 | 188 | 490 |
| 57 | Ise Ekiti | Ekiti | 167,100 | 35.2 | 13.6 | ||
| 58 | Gboko | Benue | 166,400 | 22.8 | 8.8 | ||
| 59 | Ilawe Ekiti | Ekiti | 160,700 | 23.2 | 9.0 | ||
| 60 | Ikare | Ondo | 160,600 | 24.2 | 9.3 | ||
| 61 | Osogbo [lower-alpha 22] | Osun | 156,694 | 47.2 | 18.2 | 3,334 | 8,640 |
| 62 | Okpoko | Anambra | 152,900 | 38.1 | 14.7 | ||
| 63 | Garki | Jigawa | 152,233 | 38.4 | 14.8 | 108.12 | 280.0 |
| 64 | Sapele | Delta | 151,000 | 38.2 | 14.7 | ||
| 65 | Ila | Osun | 150,700 | 29.3 | 11.3 | ||
| 66 | Shaki | Oyo | 150,300 | 34.2 | 13.2 | ||
| 67 | Ijero | Ekiti | 147,300 | 26.1 | 10.1 | ||
| 68 | Ikot Ekpene | Akwa Ibom | 143,077 | 22.3 | 8.6 | 1,233 | 3,190 |
| 69 | Jalingo | Taraba | 139,845 | 56.4 | 21.8 | ||
| 70 | Otukpo | Benue | 136,800 | 24.3 | 9.4 | ||
| 71 | Okigwe | Imo | 132,237 | 20.3 | 7.8 | ||
| 72 | Kisi | Oyo | 130,800 | 19.3 | 7.5 | ||
| 73 | Buguma | Rivers | 124,200 | 21.1 | 8.1 | ||
| 74 | Funtua | Katsina | 122,500 | 27.1 | 10.5 | ||
| 75 | Abakaliki | Ebonyi | 151,723 | 57.7 | 22.3 | ||
| 76 | Asaba [lower-alpha 23] | Delta | 149,603 | 24.8 | 9.6 | 558 | 1,450 |
| 77 | Gbongan | Osun | 117,300 | 20.4 | 7.9 | ||
| 78 | Igboho | Oyo | 115,000 | 19.2 | 7.4 | ||
| 79 | Gashua | Yobe | 109,600 | 37.2 | 14.4 | ||
| 80 | Bama | Borno | 102,800 | 24.1 | 9.3 | ||
| 81 | Uromi | Edo | 101,400 | 23.2 | 9.0 | ||
An urban area is a continuously built-up land mass of urban development that is within a labor market, without regard for administrative or city boundaries. An urban area is a human settlement with high population density and infrastructure of a built environment.
This section lists contiguous urban areas in Nigeria, with a population of at least 500,000. The figures here have been taken from Demographia's "World Urban Areas" study in 2016. Demographia uses maps, satellite photographs to estimate continuous urbanization. [2]
| Rank | City | State | Population | Area | Density | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km2 | sq mi | per km2 | per sq mi | ||||
| 1 | Lagos | Lagos | 12,830,000 | 1,425 | 550 | 9,000 | 23,000 |
| 2 | Onitsha | Anambra | 7,910,000 | 832 | 321 | 14,300 | 37,000 |
| 3 | Kano | Kano | 3,680,000 | 251 | 97 | 14,600 | 38,000 |
| 4 | Ibadan | Oyo | 2,910,000 | 466 | 180 | 6,200 | 16,000 |
| 5 | Port Harcourt | Rivers | 1,865,000 | 158 | 61 | 11,800 | 31,000 |
| 6 | Abuja | FCT | 1,580,000 | 225 | 87 | 7,000 | 18,000 |
| 7 | Benin City | Edo | 1,355,000 | 228 | 88 | 5,900 | 15,000 |
| 8 | Aba | Abia | 1,215,000 | 901 | 348 | 13,400 | 35,000 |
| 9 | Kaduna | Kaduna | 1,100,000 | 153 | 59 | 7,200 | 19,000 |
| 10 | Ilorin | Kwara | 890,000 | 83 | 32 | 10,700 | 28,000 |
| 11 | Enugu | Enugu | 810,000 | 682 | 263 | 1,200 | 3,100 |
| 12 | Jos | Plateau | 790,000 | 70 | 27 | 11,300 | 29,000 |
Ibadan is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 2,649,000 as of 2021, and over 3 million people within its metropolitan area. It is one of the country's largest cities by geographical area. At the time of Nigeria's independence in 1960, Ibadan was the largest and most populous city in the country, and the second-most populous in Africa behind Cairo. Ibadan is ranked one of the fastest-growing cities in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the UN Human Settlements Program (2022). It is also ranked third in West Africa in the tech startups index. Ibadan joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2016.
Yorubaland is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of 142,114 km2 (54,871 sq mi). Of this land area, 106,016 km2 (74.6%) lies within Nigeria, 18.9% in Benin, and the remaining 6.5% is in Togo. Prior to European colonization, a portion of this area was known as Yoruba country. The geo-cultural space contains an estimated 55 million people, the majority of this population being ethnic Yoruba.
Kaduna State is a state in the northwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna, which was the 8th largest city in the country as of 2006. Created in 1967 as North-Central State, which also encompassed the modern Katsina State, Kaduna State achieved its current borders in 1987. Kaduna State is the fourth largest and third most populous state in the country, Kaduna State is nicknamed the Centre of Learning, owing to the presence of numerous educational institutions of importance within the state such as Ahmadu Bello University.
Zaria is a metropolitan city in Nigeria, located at present time within four local government areas in Kaduna State. It serves as the capital of the Zazzau Emirate Council and is one of the original seven Hausa city-states. The local government areas comprising Zaria are Zaria, Sabon Gari, Giwa, and Soba local government areas of Kaduna State, Nigeria.
Nigeria has 774 local government areas (LGAs), each administered by a local government council consisting of a chairman, who is the chief executive, and other elected members, who are referred to as councillors. Each LGA is further subdivided into a minimum of ten and a maximum of twenty wards. A ward is administered by a councillor, who reports directly to the LGA chairman. The councillors fall under the legislative arm of the Local Government, the third tier of government in Nigeria, below the state governments and the federal government.
Nigerian Railway Corporation is the state-owned enterprise with exclusive rights to operate railways in Nigeria.
Railways in Nigeria consist of a 3,505 km Cape gauge national railway network and 669 km of standard gauge. The Cape gauge network is in poor condition due to lack of maintenance. In 2019, the single operational standard gauge line from Abuja to Kaduna generated as much revenue as the entire Cape gauge railway network combined. The Nigerian government plans to extend the standard gauge to replace most of the Western Line, while the Eastern Line will be rehabilitated as a Cape gauge line. All trains in Nigeria are operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) is Nigerian state radio broadcasting organization. Its flagship station is the syndicated radio network Radio Nigeria, with FM stations across the 36 states and Zonal station in the 6 geopolitical zones that broadcast in the SW. According to FRCN, it is the largest broadcasting organization in Africa.
Railway stations in Nigeria include:
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Jema'a is a Local Government Area in southern Kaduna State, Nigeria with headquarters at Kafanchan. The Local Government Council is chaired by Yunana Barde. It has an area of 1,384 km2 and a population of 278,202 at the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 801.
Kaduna Museum is a museum in Kaduna, Nigeria. The museum was opened in 1975 following the donation of the old Northern People's Congress (NPC) building by the North Central State Government. The Museum is located along Ali Akilu Road in Ugawana Sarki,Kanduna. The Kaduna Museum contains a substantial collection of archaeological, ethnographic and crafts exhibits and has a live crafts center in which traditional craftsmen and women can be observed making crafts.
Responsibility of water supply in Nigeria is shared between three (3) levels of government – federal, state and local. The federal government is in charge of water resources management; state governments have the primary responsibility for urban water supply; and local governments together with communities are responsible for rural water supply. The responsibility for sanitation is not clearly defined.
The National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), also referred to as National Museum of Nigeria was Founded in 1979 by the Federal Government of Nigeria with decree 77 of 1979 to be in charge of the collection, documentation, conservation and presentation of the National Cultural properties to the public for the purposes of Education, Enlightenment and Entertainment. This decree recognized the National Commission for Museums and Monuments as a replacement for both the Federal Department of Antiquities of Nigeria and the Antiquities Commission. The decree has since been substituted in 1990 for the NCMM ACT, CAP 242 of the law of Federal Republic of Nigeria 1990.
Pandogari is a town (ward) in Kagara, the capital of Rafi local government in Niger State, Nigeria. There is a large Hill which is called Kongoma hill, in Fulfulde (Kwangwamaje), Kongoma hill located at the eastern Pandogari, while on the southern part, the town shared land with Kusharki district, while on the north it shared land with Ringa district.The distance from the state capital Minna to Pandogari is about 156.7 km. Pandogari central is headed by a district head called Hakimi in Hausa language, and the current Hakimi of kongoma is Alhaji Idris Aliyu Jibril. There are three major languages in Pandogari town; they are Hausa, Fulani Ɓurawa and kamuku. In 2016, there was a religious conflict between Muslims and Christians in Pandogari which resulted in the death of four people, including a 24 year old young student.
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