Africa Point: Nigeria Travel Information Africa Point: Nigeria Travel Information
Nigeria:
Overview
Nigeria is an oil-rich Cinderella state that never quite made it to the ball. It's not the most pleasant or relaxing place to visit but if you're looking for a challenge it's the place to be.
During the 1970s, when oil prices rocketed, Nigeria looked set to become the shining example of a prosperous and democratic West African republic but perversely managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It has had the odd moment of oil-induced triumph but its history is littered with tin-pot dictators, massacres, bloody civil wars, human rights abuses, and horrific famines. It is now a country that is saddled with a soaring crime rate, massive unemployment, overpopulation, and a military government run on bribery and corruption.
But the very thing that makes Nigeria so ornery and difficult to unite into a single peaceful republic is also its attraction. There are over 250 different peoples, languages, histories, and religions all rubbing shoulder to shoulder in this hectic, colourful, sometimes cockeyed republic. It is also the place to go if you're into music. Nigeria is constantly pounding to the rhythms of traditional African juju music, Afrobeat and reggae. It's not the most pleasant or relaxing place to visit but if you're looking for a challenge it's the place to be.
When to go
The best time to visit Nigeria is from December to March when
the humidity drops, although the catch is that you may then suffer from the dusty
Harmattan winds. If a bit of sand in the face doesn't bother you, go in January when you
can attend the Sallah celebrations in northern Nigeria followed by the Argungu Fishing
Festival on the banks of the Sokoto River in mid-to-late February.
Essential Info
Visas: All visitors are required to have a visa except for citizens of countries belonging to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
Health risks: A yellow fever vaccination is required, and cerebral malaria
precautions need to be taken in Lagos and the southern coast.
Electricity: 220v, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Currency: Niara (N)
Relative costs:
Money
The niara continues to be devalued against foreign currencies making it a boon for western travellers. A budget traveler happy with YMCA accommodation or shared facilities and a fondness for African soups and goat curry can survive on as little as US$10-15 a day. Those on a moderate budget hoping for air-conditioning, running water, and lights that work (or one out of the three) can expect to pay between US$30-50, while those staying at the best places in town and dining out on European style food can shell out over US$150 a day.
Lugging wads of cash around isn't usually a good idea but in the case of Nigeria you should probably take some readies with you to smooth your way through customs. It may also take a while for the bank to change your travellers' cheques, if at all, and a hefty commission is often involved. There's a flourishing black market that usually offers better rates but it is illegal. Credit cards are all but useless except in five star hotels and there are numerous credit card scams on the go. Tipping is a grey area but generally speaking you will be expected to tip 10% in the better restaurants. Check the bill to see if service has been included. Nigeria is built on the practice of dash (bribe money) so don't even think about avoiding it. Requests can range from the downright intimidating to a pleasant smile and a gentle invitation to hand over money but which ever way it's done, it's done frequently.
Full country name:Federal Republic of Nigeria
Area: 924,000 sq. km (360,360 sq. mi)
Population: 108.5 million
Capital city:Abuja (pop 378,671)
People: Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, Ibo, Kanuri, Ibibio, Tiv, Ijaw
Language: English. The main African languages are Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Edo, Efik
Religion:Muslim (50%), Christian: mostly Roman Catholic (40%), animist (10%)
Government:Republic
President:General Abdulsalam Abubakar
Economy facts
GDP: US$143.5 billion
GDP per head: US$1380
Annual growth: 3%
Inflation: 50%
Major industries: crude oil, natural gas, coal, palm oil, peanuts, cotton
Major trading partners: USA, EU, and Japan
Peoples
Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups but three stand out; the Hausa in the north, the Ibo (or Igbo) in the east and the Yoruba in the west. Religions tend to follow these ethnic lines with Muslims dominating the north, Catholics the east and animists the west. There are also countless numbers of smaller sects that are a mélange of one or more religions combining, for example, Christianity with local spirits and guardians. Animism has strong connections to ancestral spirits that protect the land and ensure tribal well-being, and many of the sacrificial rituals and juju ceremonies that use animal skulls, bones and dried insects are a way of contacting these spirits to ensure good fortune. Charms such as the ibej(twin dolls that are adorned with beads)are also an important part of Nigerian life and are worn to bring good luck and prosperity.
Nigerian art forms reflect their occult and animist origins. Yoruba masks are carved out of wood, representing the forces of nature and gods, and their use in ceremonies like the annual Gelede masquerades helps maintain a connection with the spirit of ancestors. The masks also appear at funerals in order to appease the spirits of the deceased. Of all the Yoruba masks the large helmet masks of the Epa cult are the most spectacular. Occult influences can also be seen in the sculptures of bronze, terracotta and wood made by the Yoruba, Nupe, Igbira and Igala, and in the large Ife and Benin bronze casts.
Until his death in 1997, the world-renowned musician Fela Kuti was Nigeria's hottest ticket on the nightclub scene. His eclectic fusion of traditional Yoruba call-and-response chanting with freestyle jazz (Afrobeat) was always in demand. His music and memory live on at The Shrine, his old nightclub and home in Ikeja. Other popular Nigerian musicians include the king of juju music Sonny Ade, the grandaddy of afro-reggae Sonny Okosun, and the soul singer, Sade. Nigeria has as many writers as the rest of West Africa combined. Among their most famous is the Nobel Prize Winning author Wole Soyinka, the internationally acclaimed writer, Chinua Achebe and Ben Okri, a crowd-pulling favourite on the Western literary circuit. Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigeria's other distinguished novelist and playwright, was hanged for political activism in 1995, an event that rightly incurred the anger and condemnation of the Commonwealth and other Western nations.
Generally speaking the food in Nigeria is nothing to rave
about. However, the best chance of a good feed is the roadside stalls, called Buka, where
the best cooked local cuisine is found. Peppery stews are common in the southern states,
while menu of grains and beef are common in the north. Much of Nigerian food is
grain-based. Tuwo, made from maize, corn rice or millet, is popular as is Efo
(vegetable soup), Egusi(a hot stew made with meat and red peppers) and Isi-ewu(goat
head pepper soup). There's also lots of snack food including fried yam chips, meat
pastries and fried plantain. Palm wine, a natural juice from palm trees, is a favoured
drink all over Nigeria, especially in the south where these trees grow wild.
History
The earliest Nigerians were the Nok people, skilled artisans from around the Jos area. By the beginning of the second millennium the Nok had virtually disappeared and the state of Kanem, to the north east of Lake Chad, was flourishing. Much of Kanem was Islamic, as were the kingdoms around Kano and Katsina, and its wealth came from control of the trans-Saharan trade route from West Africa to the Mediterranean. These northern Islamic states remained untouched by Europeans until well into the 19th century. By contrast the southern states were dominated in the 14th and 15th centuries by a number of Yoruba empires with traditional Obas (kings) who cultivated European contact through the Portugese spice traders.
At the end of the 18th century Fulani religious zealots in the north, sick of being dominated by the Islamic Hausa states, took over and created the single Islamic state of the Sokoto Caliphate. This original division between the Islamic government in the north and the Yoruba tribes in the south has never healed and over the years intertribal fighting and civil wars have rubbed salt into the wounds. Even today Nigerian politics is riddled with tribal rivalries and ancient axes to grind.
After the bottom fell out of the spice trade the Portugese, and then the British, began trading in the human misery of slaves, but by 1807 slavery had been banned and the British began to look for other ways to turn a buck. British companies began to take control of the Jos mines thus destroying the livelihood of thousands of independent tin producers. Worse still the heavy reliance on mining exports was achieved at the expense of Nigeria's export food crops and the country had its first-ever food shortage. The British had also appointed chiefs in the southern Ibo communities to run the area but this was like hammering square pegs into round holes. These 'invented chiefs' had little in common with the people and simmering hostility and resentment was the usual result.
In 1960 Nigeria declared independence but the British system of colonialism had done nothing to unify Nigeria or prepare it for independence. The historical conflicts between north and south, and other inter-regional fighting, made the idea of a unified republic unworkable. By 1966 the dream of a flourishing democracy was floundering amidst a series of massacres, inter-regional hostilities and, finally, a military coup that installed the first of a series of military governments. The Ibo responded by seceding from the federation and declaring the independent republic of Biafra, kick-starting an all-out civil war that lasted for nearly three years before federal Nigeria won and reintegrated Biafra. The war left behind nearly 1,000,000 dead and 'Biafra' became a byword in mass destruction and famine.
Given Nigeria's seesawing fortunes it was almost predictable that they would follow one of the world's worst famines with a champagne period of excessive prosperity. Rocketing oil prices provided the Nigerian government with a chance to go on a spending spree of reckless proportions and the country quickly became a hotbed of foreigners rushing to Nigeria with their dash (bribe) money. Corruption became de rigueur, crime rampant, and chaos spread like cancer. By the early 1980s the world recession sent oil prices plummeting again and plunged Nigeria into a cycle of massive debt, soaring inflation, mass unemployment and widespread corruption. In 1993 the country came under the iron-fisted rule of General Abacha.
Far from delivering on the promise of a US-style democracy,
Abacha earned the wrath of human rights group and the censure of the Commonwealth nations
for executing well-known playwright Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others for seditious political
activity. This and other despotic actions sparked rioting and civil unrest across Nigeria.
In June 1998 Abacha died and was immediately replaced by Major General Abubakar. Abubakar
promised a return to free elections in 1999 but after decades of political turmoil,
economic deprivation, famine, and civil wars, Nigerians are experiencing hope-fatigue and
are understandably cynical about the political process.
Activities
Events
The biggest festival in Nigeria is the Sallah celebrations at the end of Ramadan (the Islamic period of fasting) and Tabaski(69 days later). The exact dates differ from year to year but is usually sometime in late January or early February and again in late April. The principal event of the celebrations is the Durbar, a colourful parade of ornately dressed Hausa-Fulani horsemen, Emirs dressed in ceremonial robes, bicep-flexing wrestlers and lute players in headdresses.
Occurring shortly after the Sallah celebrations is the Argungu
Fishing and Cultural Festival(sometime in mid to late February) on the banks of the
Sokoto River. This internationally acclaimed festival is fishing with a difference and
involves barehanded fishing, duck hunting, swimming and other watery competitions. More
water-based celebrations take place around August at the Pategi Regatta, halfway
between Ibadan and Kaduna, with the highlight of the regatta being the rowing competition.
Activities
Nigeria is not known for its teeming wildlife but
Yankari National Park is the place to see what there is. It's an ornithologist's
dream with over 600 species roosting around its interior. The Gashaka Game Reserve,
near Yola, is the largest national park in Nigeria and is home to chimp, hippos and a
staggering number of birds. Gembu, near the Cameroun border, is good for hiking
as is Bukura, especially around the Kurra Falls. Another popular hiking destination is the
Assop Waterfalls but if you visit the falls be prepared for a day hike or longer (camping
may be possible). There are a number of popular swimming beaches around Lagos,
although the water is never clear and some beaches have a strong undertow.
Travel
International Travel
Lagos International airport (Murtala Mohammed) is 22km (13mi) from Lagos and there is a free coach service every ten minutes. Taxis to the city are also available. The national carrier, Nigerian Airways, offers flights to a number of European destinies but it can be a bumpy ride. International carriers fly in and out of Lagos but due to political instability scheduled flights may sometimes be cancelled. The departure tax for international flights is US$35.
Sea services to Lagos, Port Harcourt and Calabar sail from
London, Liverpool and other European ports. There are also boats from Oron (just inside
the Nigerian border) to Limbe (just inside the Cameroun border) but it involves changing
boats, running the gauntlet of suspicious custom officials and negotiating hostile
relations between the two countries. Share-taxis can take you by road to Benin, Cameroun,
Chad and Niger. Most border crossings involve dash handed over to customs officials
in a pleasant manner.
Local Travel
Air travel within Nigeria is always a bit of a gamble, mainly because scheduled departure times appear to be entirely hypothetical and boarding involves an elbows-first, musical-chairs scramble for a seat on an aircraft that will always be over booked. Domestic flights do not leave from Murtala Mohammed airport but from the older airport 10km away. Private airlines are a viable alternative and are usually more organised and reliable than Nigerian Airways and offer relatively cheap fares.
Travelling by bus is the safest and most comfortable way to
travel and lines connect all the main cities. Bus offices tend to cluster in the same area
of the city. Bush taxis are the fastest and most comfortable way to get around but they're
also the most dangerous. Nigerian drivers have little respect for speed limits and
accidents are often fatal. There are trains running in Nigeria but they're not very
comfortable and, as if to compensate for the bush-taxis, travel at a snail's pace.
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