Born in England but gave up offshore job and associated snowboarding/travelling lifestyle to live wi...
Born in England but gave up offshore job and associated snowboarding/travelling lifestyle to live with my danish girlfriend and 2 year old daughter in Denmark. Life is good.
Member since:05.07.2005
Reviews:38
Members who trust:2
The definition of a nation: Nation n. A part, or division, of the people of the earth, distinguished from the rest by common descent, language, or institutions; a race; a stock.
With respect to the other two posters here, both of whom I suspect are Nigerian and possibly involved in the tourist industry, the Nigeria encountered by non-nigerians does not fulfill these criteria. Nigeria is as much a nation as Yugoslavia or Israel. It is divided by tribal differences which can, and do, often erupt into violence on all scales - from mass killings and gunfights through kidnappings to two individuals fighting in a bar.
I have visited Nigeria 3 times whilst employed by a survey company connected to the oil industry, aand although I went with an open mind, and have enjoyed time in Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Cameroon, Nigeria is a bit... well.... different.
Nigeria
is Located in West Africa, in an area known as "the armpit of Africa" due to... well, officially due to the appearance of the country on a map, the delta of the river Niger making an armpit-like bulge just where the coast turns, but unofficially you could quite easily bring in the hot, humid climate and the smell of the place. Nigeria is a huge country, and the parts of it I have seen are the jungle-clogged rivers and waterways that make up the Niger delta together with a couple of the cities - Nigeria, Bonny Town and Port Harcourt. Like other West African countries, it is warm and humid. To step outside in this area of the world is to be enfolded in a warm, damp, towel of smog. It is not an unpleasant warmth at first, but over time it saps your strength, eats away at your resolution to achieve your aims and leaves you sitting silently in the shade, preferably with a cold drink to nurse. The smell is also particular to this corner of the world. The dust, the vehicle fumes, the poor sanitation and the heat combining to give an atmosphere which seems somehow harder to breate in than you would expect. The place is desperately poor, driving through Lagos it is possible to pass through literally mile after mile of people living in corrugated steel huts or under plastic sheets. Other areas reveal mountains of garbage, with dozens of people picking over it trying to find something to sell.
The real problem with being a tourist here is the people. The Nigerians I have encountered on the streets are, by and large, broke and unprincipled. When they look at a westerner they see not so much a person as a wallet on legs. Unfortunately, whilst people in other countries will try and extract their share by selling overpriced goods, begging, getting you to buy drinks for girls and similar ploys, in Nigeria there is a good chance somebody will extract it by force. There are guns everywhere in Nigeria. All the police have little ones, and all the military have big ones. There are police and Army personnel everywhere, which should come as a relief, but they are usually just as much on the make as everyone else. Violence is a part of everyday life here. You will see fights and shouted arguments almost daily. Driving in a minibus from one part of Lagos to another I witnessed our armed guard kicking a car and giving its owner a couple of solid whacks with his baton when he wouldn't pull over onto the pavement to let us past. He then got back into our bus and we drove off - over pavements, traffic islands and onto the wrong side of the road, horn blaring almost constantly. Money is king in Nigeria, and if you have it, you Lord it over those who do not, whether you want to or not.
But on to more practical facts. The airports are a nightmare. the unofficial Nigerian operating system operates almost exclusively on bribes, and if you refuse to pay one "Perhaps you have something for me, huh?" you will be left to wait with some very patient africans, perhaps for hours. It is best just to pay up - scatter some small denomination US bills about your person before leaving. Which brings me on to currency. The official one is the Nira, but unofficially, US Dollars are a better bet. You can break a 50 most places, but you can be sure of getting a 20 accepted.
Language. No problem communicating in English. Hotels. the big chains are security conscious to the point of armed guards in the lobby and on the gate, and barbed wire fences round the perimeter. I would always stay at one of these, the peace of mind brought about by a good nights sleep in an air-conditioned room and the peace of mind of feeling safe more than compensating for the price. In addition, you can be sure that the taxis and guides they supply will be reputable.
Attractions. I did not see anything to attract me to the cities of Lagos, Port Harcourt, or Bonny Town. The rivers are fascinating, with wrecked boats around every bend, piled up into the jungle or abandoned at anchor or on sandbars.
That's about it. I should add the caveat that it is entirely possible that away from the cities Nigeria is a great place, packed with friendly and honest people, and I would never know. Indeed, I have no intention of going back to find out. Nigeria remains the one place I have witnessed people firing guns in anger.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Salutary information for anyone considering visiting Nigeria covering aspects from a different perspective from the guidebooks.
JulianRobertConnor 14.07.2005 13:42
Scary stuff, you must be pretty brave going back there, i'd be too scared to go back after the first time judging by the review. A very honest review.
groinstraddle 10.07.2005 00:47
You've got a good point about Africans being divided by tribes rather than national boundaries. The boundaries were devised by European countries to divide Africa, hence countries speak French or English as official languages. This can divide them from neighbouring countries, but the national identity is something more enforced by European influences than any organic ideal. Nice to see someone on Ciao not trying to be polite! ps. Go Super Eagles!
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
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
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
Jul 7th, 2005
exceptional by (4%):
very helpful by (48%):
helpful by (43%):
somewhat helpful by (4%):
