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Introduction to Nigeria

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, one in five Africans lives there / here, and Lagos is the world’s second largest city.  Since 1999, it has been the world’s fourth-biggest democracy, and is the sixth biggest supplier of crude oil on earth, by rights it should be Africa’s economic giant.   

However, Nigeria is far from the most pleasant West African country, its impoverished and the majority of the population lives on under US$2 a day; it’s dirty and is an environmental nightmare with piles of rubbish literally everywhere and its natural resources have been stripped bare; nothing works and everything is seriously dilapidated, the infrastructure is totally inadequate; there are frequent shortages of fuel, electricity and water, vehicle traffic and human corruption are tremendous, and it has witnessed overwhelming political upheavals and religious and ethnic conflict.   

To the international community, Nigeria is still sometimes regarded as a pariah nation, run by a government incapable of controlling the largest population in Africa.  While the author of the Brandt guide to Ghana, Phillip Briggs described Ghana as ‘Africa for beginners’, Lizzie Williams the author of the Brandt guide to Nigeria, described Nigeria as ‘Africa for the very experienced.’   It’s far from a holiday destination, there’s very little to see in the way of conventional sightseeing, and it’s an environmental disaster.   Nigerians themselves have no interest in conserving or preserving their natural or historical legacies, and there is no tourism industry to support the national parks or historic sites.  Until 1999, the secretive military discouraged tourism so foreigners wouldn’t see what was gong on in the country. 

Everywhere in Nigeria, contrasts abound.  Step outside the most luxurious hotels in Nigeria, and people are selling yams from wheelbarrows at the gate; outside the Virgin airline offices, there are goats in the car park.  From 24 hour internet cafes to dead bodies in the street; from roadblocks where the policemen wear bandanas and mirrored sunglasses to the ladies going to church in the most beautiful dresses you’ve ever seen; from plane-loads of wealthy Nigerians going to Dubai on shopping trips to people so poor they resort to eating rats and maggots; from black magic markets full of unexplained fetishes and charms in a country where there are still rumors of human sacrifice going on, to more people carrying mobile phones that take photographs than perhaps anywhere else in the world.  It’s appalling and awful, fascinating and appealing, and funny and sad, all at the same time; Nigeria is that extreme.   

So, why go to Nigeria?  It’s impossible to deny its pride of place amongst the extreme travel destinations of the world, and there are undeniably few of these left as the world gets increasingly smaller.  Nigeria offers the opportunity to see a country in its raw and naked state.  Experiences are memorable and educational.  There are effectively two Nigerias – the expat world of Lagos and Abuja with yacht and cigar clubs, societies, posh restaurants, and supermarkets selling imported items, the other is the rest of the country, the latter is recommended.  

Nigeria has a fascinating and turbulent history, and the cultural assets of the country are universally recognized, it has more than 250 culturally rich and linguistically diverse ethnic groups, a multitude of co-habiting religions and almost 140 million warm-hearted and hospitable people.  The highlight of Nigeria is meeting these people, and practically any person in any corner will offer a moment of their time to say ‘welcome’.  Meeting the people is an overwhelming experience – they are colorful, intelligent, curious, creative, imaginative and generous.   

Travel in Nigeria can be stressful and is frequently stalled by inconvenience and inefficiency; not every experience is pleasant, and away from the expat suburbs of Lagos and Abuja, westerners or ‘oyibos’, meaning ‘white man’ - are a rare sight indeed, but if up for the challenge, it is one of the most exciting and engaging countries of the world.   

Every person who visits Nigeria will experience a very personal and distinctive trip.  It is a unique and compelling country with an enormous personality.  There is no other way to write about Nigeria than personally, it’s a destination that’s not about sights like the Eiffel Tower or the Serengeti planes, but about a conversation and a unique moment.   

Adapted from the Introduction to the Brandt Guide to Nigeria, written by Lizzie Williams. 

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