Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, has been listed among the best cities in the world, according to 2026 Global Cities Index by Oxford Economics.
The index evaluated 1,000 major urban areas across the globe. It studied five core categories to score and compare each city which included economics, human capital, quality of life, environment, and governance.
Nigeria has 18 cities in the 1,000-city index South East 4, South West 4, North Central 3, North West 4, South South 2, and North East 1.
Lagos, Abuja, Onitsha, Owerri, Enugu, Ibadan. Aba, Port harcourt, and Ilorin were in the top ten from the country.
Overall, Ilorin, Kwara’s capital, was listed 957 in the global list.
According to estimates, there are over 10,000–48,000 cities in the world but Oxford Economics studied the most developed globally.
Kwara was also recently ranked by one of the top 10 safest state to stay in Nigeria in the latest Security Perception Index released by Statisense.
Responding to the development, netizens have expressed joy for Ilorin’s good standing in several development indices.
Notable reference is being made of improved infrastructure, access to health care, and better learning outcomes in education in the last seven years.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has been credited with the turnaround in the level governance in the state, pointing at his vision to make the state self-reliant and a technological and industrial hub in the state.