Facts at a Glance
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
Environment
Over three times the size of the UK, Nigeria occupies 15% of Africa but has 56% of its people. It sits on the Gulf of Guinea sandwiched to the north by Niger, the east by Cameroon and the west by Benin. Most of Nigeria is flat and unexciting apart from the mountains that run along the Cameroon border, and the lush tropical rainforest in the interior which opens out onto the central grasslands of the Jos plateau. To the east is the soggy, mosquito-infested swamplands of the Bight of Benin which hold Nigeria's most precious commodity, oil.
Nigeria has extraordinary biological diversity but is facing environmental disaster. Rapid deforestation is an unfortunate consequence of its ever increasing population and in West Africa only Côte d'Ivoire cuts down trees at a faster rate. However, there are still a number of reserves and national parks where you can hang out with nature and get into bird watching. Both the Yankari National Park and the Gashaka Game Reserve are home to over 600 species of birds. Okomo Sanctuary and Cross River National Park have less of the feathery animals and more of the furry four-footed kind - chimps, hippos, elephants and baboons - and if you're lucky you may get a glimpse of a gorilla (once thought to have packed up and left the area), at Cross River National Park.
Like everything else about Nigeria the climate is varied and differs substantially from region to region. The north is hot and dry with one long rainy season from April to September, while in the south it is hot and wet with the rainy season lasting from March to November. Temperatures are slightly lower in the tropical regions of the south but it's the humidity that's a real killer. Relief from the humidity only comes in December and January during the Harmattan season when cool dry winds blow off the desert.
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 trade.
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, large-scale 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's promise of a return to civilian rule in mid-1999 appears to be sincere, with elections having taken place in February.
Economic Profile
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
Culture
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 two 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 menus 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.
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.
Facts for the Traveller
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.
Time: GMT/UTC plus one hour
Electricity: 220v, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric (see conversion
table)
Money & Costs
Currency: Niara (N)
Relative costs:
- Budget meal: US$2-4
- Moderate restaurant meal: US$6-10
- Top-end restaurant meal: US$15 and up
- Budget room: US$2-7
- Moderate hotel: US$10-25
- Top-end hotel: US$100-200
The niara continues to be devalued against foreign currencies making it a boon for western travellers. A budget traveller 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.
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.
Attractions
Lagos
According to popular wisdom the best thing about Lagos is leaving it. It's a city that still believes itself to be the capital of Nigeria even though officially Abuja now has that honour. Lagos is a sprawling, steamy, overpopulated city with bumper-to-bumper traffic, an international reputation for crime, a corrupt and top-heavy bureaucracy, a creaking infrastructure and a highly visible poverty factor. Add kamikaze drivers and gun-toting law enforcers to the mix and you have a city where just about anything can, and does, happen.
However if you use a little bit of street savvy Lagos can offer you a number of unique experiences. It has more night clubs and live music than just about any other West African city and is chiefly known for its music. The late Fela Kuti came from an outer suburb of Lagos. Sunny Ade, king of juju music, still calls it home as does the Afro-reggae specialist Sonny Okosun. Fela Kuti's old nightclub The Shrine is in the working class district of Ikeja and Sunny Ade's club Ariya Night Club is in Yaba. Both are worth a visit as is the open-air Jazz 38 where, if you've had the foresight to bring your own musical instrument with you, you might score an invitation to jam with the band.
The National Museum, on Lagos Island, is worth a visit for its impressive bronze sculptures and ivory carvings from Benin and for its masks and terracotta antiquities from Jos. From ancient relics to modern ruins, the other note-worthy exhibition is the bullet-riddled car in which Murtala Mohammed, a former head of state, was assassinated.
The heart of Lagos is Lagos Island where all the major banks, department stores, restaurants and black marketeers are to be found. Most of the embassies and big houses are on Victoria and Ikoyi islands. The three islands together make up most of downtown Lagos. A strong word of warning. Lagos is one of the most crime-ridden cities in the world so you need to be switched on at all times. Never walk around alone and always take a taxi at night.
At nearly 1000 years old the mud-walled Muslim city of Kano is the oldest city in West Africa and sits on the edge of the Sahel (the fringe of the Sahara). Although it's a bustling hive of commercial activity it's still more bearable than Lagos. Its main attraction is the Old City where, despite the walls of the city having all but disintegrated, the gates have remained intact. The main gate, the Kofar Mata Gate, leads to the Emir's palace and the Central Mosque. The mosque is closed to non-Islamic visitors but is worth seeing from the outside especially during the 12.30pm Friday prayer time, when it attracts up to 50,000 worshippers.
Next to the mosque is the huge mud-walled Emir's palace, an outstanding example of Hausa architecture, but don't expect to get in without a personal invitation. Next to the palace is the Gidan Makama Museum, built in the 15th century and now completely restored and well worth the visit. The Kofar Mata indigo-dye pits, the oldest in Africa, are in Kanos and supposedly still operational but business looks as if it's dying off. The ancient Kurmi Market is a rambling maze of alleyways and stinking lanes but bargains can be found here if you take your time and have a good look around.
Kano is about 835km (520mi) north of Lagos and can be reached by bush taxi, shared taxi or minibus. Trains also travel to Kano.
In a bit of tomfoolery (inspirational even by Nigerian standards) the government kicked the Gwari inhabitants off their land and moved the capital, holus-bolus, from Lagos to Abuja. Unfortunately they ran out of money before the grand vision could be realised and much of Abuja still looks like an empty parking lot. This tends to make Abuja a particularly dull place to visit unless you're a town planner.
Abuja is slowly taking on the role of Nigeria's capital but while some official functions are held there many ministries are still in Lagos. There really isn't much to do in Abuja except debate the finer points of Nigerian politics. These include the burning issue of whether Abuja ought to be classified as a state or a capital city, instead of the mayoralty that it is.
Abuja is about 500km (310mi) north east of Lagos and, being the official capital, has several daily flights from Lagos. Bush taxis shuttle back and forth between Abuja and the major cities in the central district. Once you get there, though, there are relatively few cheap places to stay.
The cooler climate of the tin mining town of Jos, about 350km (220 mi) south-west of Kano, makes a pleasant change from the hot steamy mayhem of Lagos. It's located on a high plateau near the centre of Nigeria and is surrounded by green shubbery and undulating hills, a welcome sight after the flatness of much else of Nigeria.
The Jos Museum Complex has four museums and a zoo but two of them, the Jos National Museum and the Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture, are stand-outs. The first has superb pottery, brassware, and ornaments from the Nok civilization while the later, with a touch of the bizarre that begins to feel worryingly normal in Nigeria, has life-sized reproductions of important buildings that in their original settings have been demolished or allowed to fall into disrepair.
Jos lies about 700km (434mi) to the north-east of Lagos. You can catch a train from Lagos to Jos but it's a long trip and you need to change at Kafanchan. The more comfortable alternative is the direct flight from Lagos. Bush taxis run from both Abuja 245 (152mi) south-east of Jos and Kano 330km (205mi). They leave on a regular basis and are relatively cheap.
Yankari National Park, 225km (139mi) east of Jos, has West Africa's best nature
reserve and holds the only remnant of wildlife left in Nigeria. Seeing animals here is a bit of a hit-and-miss affair but if you're in luck you may come across elephant, waterbuck, hippo, crocodile and the occasional lion. The other feature of interest in the park is the thermal Wikki Warm Spring. The best months to visit are January and February. If going through the park in a noisy wildlife-viewing truck is not your thing, you can arrange for one of the guides to take you on a walking tour.
Yankari National Park is 900km (558mi) from Lagos but if you get to Bauchi, minivans travel to Dindima where you can then flag a bush taxi for the 30 min ride to the main gate. You can also hire bush taxis in Bauchi that will take you straight to the main gate.
Off the Beaten Track
Oshogbo
Oshogbo is the cradle of Yoruba art and has produced more art in the last 30 years than anywhere else in Africa. The best time to see Oshogbo is during the Oshun Festival (last week in August) when dancing and sacrificial rites are performed. Be sure to catch the Oja Oba Market for the latest in juju material.
Oshogbo is famous for its Sacred Forest, an area that holds massive sculptures and monumental shrine complexes dedicated to different Yoruba gods. Many of these shrines are falling into disrepair and being reclaimed by the forest but since the 1950s the Austrian sculptor, Suzanne Wenger, has been working to bring the shrines back to life.
The city of Oshogbo is 200km (142mi) north of Lagos and can be reached by bush taxis or share taxis.
Onitsha, directly east of Lagos, is the most densely populated area in Africa after the Nile Valley. Built on the banks of the Niger River Onitsha was battered and bruised by the Biafran War but has since regained its vitality. Its chief attraction is the new market, one of the most vibrant in Nigeria, which specialises in books.
According to Chinua Achebe, Onitsha has always attracted the 'exceptional, the colourful, the bizarre'. As if to prove a point the Onitsha Market has paperbacks with wild and wacky titles like Husbands and Wives Who Hate Themselves or My Seven Young Daughters Are After Young Boys. They also come with incisive critical appraisals that double up as practical reading tips like, 'This book entertains more than two bottles of beer.'
Onitsha lies some 400km (248mi) east of Lagos and is easily reached by bush taxi or minibus.
Tennis anyone? Perhaps horseriding or hiking? Try the Obudu Cattle Ranch just east of Ogoja. This resort-ranch, built in the 1950s by enterprising and expatriate Scottish ranchers, offers a range of outdoor activities and although it has gradually fallen into disrepair you can still stay at one of the chalets or pitch a tent. The cooler climate, at 1890m (6200ft), makes it an attractive place for walking, hiking or any other activity that means working up a sweat.
Obudu Cattle Ranch is about 650km (400mi) east of Lagos. To get there you'll need to take bush taxis to Obudu and then hitchhike the remaining 44km (27mi) to the front gate. Alternatively, it's a straightforward 110km (68mi)drive from Ogoja.
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 Cameroon 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.
Getting There & Away
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 Cameroon 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, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Most border crossings involve dash handed over to customs officials in a pleasant manner.
Getting Around
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.
- Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe tells the story of the impact of colonialism and religion on a traditional Ibo village at the turn of the century.
- The Famished Road by Ben Okri is a winner of the Booker Prize for Fiction. Written in the Magical Realism style, it describes Nigeria as seen through the eyes of a young boy.
- Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought by Henry John Dewal, John Pemberton III and Rowland Abiodun is a beautifully photographed volume of the art of the Yoruba people.
- Nigeria: Giant of Africa by Peter Holmes, is an excellent coffee table volume.
- Enjoy Nigeria by Ian Nason, is an informational book about the less-travelled roads of Nigeria.
- The Dancing Palm Tree and Other Nigerian Folktales by Barbara K. Walker and Helen Siegl is a collection of 11 tales that reflect the flavour and spirit of the Nigerian oral tradition .
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