Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are the top preferred relocation destinations for residents of the Southwest, new data by Statisense has shown.
The report, sourced from PCI 2025, covers the six Southwest states — Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo.
According to the data, in Ekiti State, 33 per cent of respondents prefer Lagos, 19 per cent prefer Abuja, 14 per cent prefer Oyo, 10 per cent prefer Ogun and 5 per cent prefer Osun.
For Lagos residents looking to relocate, 42 per cent chose Abuja as their first choice, followed by Oyo (21%), Ogun (15%), Ekiti (10%) and Osun (5%).
The report indicated that Lagos is the only state in the Southwest where Abuja is the top choice by a wide margin.
In Ogun State, 29 per cent preferred Lagos, 21 per cent Abuja, 19 per cent Oyo, 5 per cent Osun and Kwara states.
Also, in Ondo State, 31 per cent chose Lagos, 13 per cent each chose Oyo and Ogun, while 6 per cent each chose Abuja and Plateau.
Osun State shows a more diverse pattern: 29 per cent prefer Abuja, 24 per cent Oyo, 14 per cent Lagos, 10 per cent Sokoto and 5 per cent said they would stay within Osun.
Similarly, in Oyo State, 36 per cent prefer Lagos, 14 per cent Abuja, 11 per cent Osun, 6 per cent Ondo and 6 per cent Kwara.
The data indicates strong intra-regional movement within the Southwest, with Lagos, Oyo and Ogun appearing in the top three choices for most states.
However, Abuja (North-Central) remains the main destination outside the region, topping the list for Lagos and Osun.
The percentage of people who want to stay within their own state is notably low, at five per cent for Osun, with other states not having “staying put” in their top five.