I was living in Nigeria in the late 70s, I still remember so much. even the first lines of the national anthem "Nigeria we hail thee, our own dear native land, though tribe and land may suffer, in brotherhood we stand......"
Nigeria has suffered through the years from human conflicts about religion and territory. Historically large sectors of Africa were invaded and colonialised by the British. Then with a total British disregard for local african political and religious devisions, Nigeria and many other African countries were formed. Nigeria was a diverse mix religions and politics mainly Yoruba, Ibo and Hausa tribes, were some were farming cultures and others nomads. This has been a cauldron of mistrust and minor conflicts for many years. But they have OIL! and so Nigeria won its independance. All these years on Nigeria still thrives today as a super rich country......with of course, a super poor majority. Unfortunately a culture of this complex nature has more than its fair share of corruption, I hope that time has brought more stability and trust.
I still have images of thin long tarmacced highways running for endless hours and hours up and accross Nigeria, littered with oil tankers upside down in the ditches on both sides of the road, usually with the marketing message of the time branded on their sides "Happy Motoring".
I remember army convoys driving straight down the middle of the road stopping or moving asside for no-one....
and local dessert whirlwinds which would spring from nowhere and then make their way almost deliberately towards villages ripping the straw rooves from the mud daubed buildings. House contents would then follow spiralling into the sky.
Nigeria is part dessert; part tropical and the hot sandy harmattan dry season bakes and cooks everything under the sun, then for a few months the rains arrive, flood, drench and go. Then back to the dry season again.
Nigeria is a rich place in its volcanoes and plateaus which rise as beautiful forms above the huge flat landscapes. Each volcano has a personality of its own.
Animals are hardy creatures in Nigeria whether the tough farmed roaming long horned cattle or the cheeky scruffy baboons. All animals know where to find those precious water reserves and plan their lives around water and food.
In the North is a reserve which boasts one of my favourite memories of all time. Wikki Springs is a natural water stream coming out from within a rocky outcrop in the Jungle in Yankari Game Reserve. The stream comes out as refreshing warm clear water with steam permanently rising from its surface. The stream is shallow enough to sit and relax in, it is totally refreshing in the day and so warmingly therapeutic at night. Just near the spring entrance in the rock, the water is deep and with a well positioned rock protruding over, is ideal for diving off into the water. At night while sitting and soaking you can listen to night creatures and watch glowing fireflies dating around. During the day, the other visitor to the springside is the local baboon community who are increasingly pushy about sharing our snacks and rations.
I would like to recommend Nigeria to you as a tourist destination. If you are thinking of moving there to live, I recommend you consult people like yourself who already live there if you are able, they can warn you of the pros and cons involved. Tourists check your water is drinking water all the time and get your jabs before you go, also exersize a little caution in your dealings with people over there.
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Advantages: Hospitable people, Interesting tourist attractions to see, Potential business opportunities Disadvantages: Lack of publicity, Incorrect Image, Ignored tourism potential
Emrahsenel 16.09.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of General: Nigeria
Advantages: Hospitable people, Interesting tourist attractions to see, Potential business opportunities Disadvantages: Lack of publicity, Incorrect Image, Ignored tourism potential
Emrahsenel 16.09.2001 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of General: Nigeria
Jun 19th, 2002
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