Top 7 safest states to live in Nigeria

If you Google ‘Nigerian news’ it feel as if the country is burning at the seems. And in fairness, that might be a fair assessment – Boko Haram terrorists have almost completely devastated the three Northeastern states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa. Local gangs known as bandits are operating almost unchecked in the Northwest and central parts of the country. There are secessionist agitations in the southwest and Southeastern parts of the country which has turned bloody in recent times.

There seem to be nowhere safe in Nigeria right now if you follow the news headlines. Yet, there are entire states in the country where absolutely nothing is happening. People go about their normal day relatively removed from the chaos and kidnappings plaguing states like Kaduna and the bloody secessionist’s agitation in places like Imo state.

Here are the 7 safest states in Nigeria where almost nothing is going on.

1. Jigawa state:

this state has an interesting location as the state shares a border with Katsina, which has been plagued by kidnappings and the activities of bandits in recent times. The state also shares a border with Kano which had suffered multiple terrorist attacks in the recent past. Yet, Jigawa state was never attacked by bandits nor suffer terrorist attacks during the hight of Boko Haram. The state is so peaceful that it hardly made the news in Nigeria’s tragedy filled news cycle.

2. Gombe state:

located in Nigeria’s northeast, Gombe state is another odd bird considering its neighbors. The state is reach in limestone and that is where Lafarge – the cement company makes their Ashaka cement.

3. Kwara state:

unlike the other states above, Kwara state actually makes the news quit often, not for insecurity but for the political crisis currently going on in the state. See Kwara is where information minister, Lai Mohammed is from, and for some reason the minister is fighting the state governor over the leadership of their party in the state.

Their squabble has largely been peaceful, it is removed from the daily reality of most people there who just read about it in the news. Kwara state also shares a border with Niger, a state that is becoming more of a safe haven for bandits in recent times.

4. Ekiti state:

located in South West Nigeria, Ekiti is one of the states where almost nothing negative is happening in the country. The state has experienced change of power between the APC and PDP without much hassle, in addition to being peaceful it is also one of the states with the strongest economies in Nigeria.

5. Bauchi state:

in the past the state has been targeted by Boko Haram on a few occasions but since 2015, it has remained one of the most peaceful states in northern Nigeria’s hausa speaking region.

6.Akwa Ibom:

this oil-rich southern state has been where the Nigerian soccer team – the Super Eagles play most of their home matches. The capital city of Uyo is a vibrant metropolis bubbling with economic activities.

7. Anambara state:

despite being in the heart of Igboland, Anambara has not witnessed much of separatist’s activities like in its neighbouring state of Imo. Its commercial city of Nnewi is where Innoson – the car maker is located.

While it might feel like the entire country is unsafe due to nature of 24/7 news cycle, more places in Nigeria are actually more safe than they are unsafe. Other states that deserve a mention for being relatively safe include Kano state, Taraba state, Edo state Cross River and Ogun states.