Nigeria
Business visitors should be well dressed for meetings. Casual dress may convey a casual attitude, especially to European-trained Nigerians. English is spoken in business circles. Titles should be used, particularly the honorific titles of traditional leaders. Company representatives should be flexible in business dealings and able to make decisions on contractual matters without lengthy referral to their home offices. In Nigeria, important business is conducted face-to-face. No worthwhile transactions can be completed quickly or impersonally. Follow-up visits are common. Business appointments preferably are made through personal calls or hand-delivered messages, since the telephone/fax system is unreliable and the mail is slow. Nigerians are not known for punctuality. Visitors should make their contacts well before departure from the United States. Office hours are 0730-1530 Monday to Friday for government offices and 0830-1700 for private businesses.
Violent assault, armed robbery, rape and car-jacking occur throughout Nigeria, especially in Lagos, but also in the capital, Abuja. Criminals have been known to pose as police, military personnel, injured or pregnant women and bogus greeters at the airport.
Travelers should:
- remain within the confines of the airport when transiting (rather than venturing out)
- avoid traveling alone, particularly in taxis
- avoid traveling at night
- keep car windows closed and car doors locked at all times
- take particular care in and around the international airports, especially Lagos (where possible, arrange to be met)
- take particular care on the road between the airport and Lagos.
There have been incidents where visitors have been collected from their hotel by imposters claiming to represent the company where they had an appointment or by calling hotel rooms to tell travelers "your flight is departing early, I will pick you up." The visitors have then been abducted, robbed and in some cases murdered. It is advisable to make sure you can identify any person picking you up from your hotel and to be suspicious of any last minute changes in arrangements. Personal information should not be disclosed unnecessarily.
Travelers should only carry sufficient cash for their daily needs, secure their valuables against theft and avoid displays of wealth at all times. Photocopies of valuables such as passport, tickets, drivers license and travelers checks should be kept separately from the originals.
There have been reports of phone calls that are made to relatives of travelers from alleged hospitals or doctors in Nigeria claiming that a traveler has been injured and money is needed before medical treatment. Relatives should ensure that the contact is genuine as this is a common method of extorting money. Any requests for money from Nigeria should be treated with caution.
Credit card fraud is a problem. Facilities for changing traveler’s checks are very limited. Travelers should secure US Dollars or British Pounds prior to their visit, as these are the easiest to exchange and are often fairly accepted.
Carry a charged and turned on cell phone at all times (and/or radio), programmed with emergency contact numbers.
In traffic, always attempt to leave space in which to maneuver; one car length between you and the car in front of you is the generally recommended distance. Always leave yourself an exit. Be prepared to take evasive action. Avoid choke points if possible – an example of a chokepoint is an intersection, bridge, or road that you must travel in order to get to your destination. If you cannot avoid the choke point, then raise your level of awareness when passing through it, looking for anything out of the ordinary that could be surveillance or a potential threat.
When at all possible, avoid public locations where Westerners frequent or congregate.
Use good judgment during activities, regardless of location; ensure all family members are briefed on security measures; have a plan and play the “what if” game: think about what you would do in various situations, ideally first to avoid, or alternatively to escape a potentially threatening situation; run scenario-based situations through your mind – this can shorten the reaction time and is a proven technique.
Hotels in major Nigerian cities are adequate. Business, 5-star or deluxe hotels of U.S. or European standard should not be expected, however. Accommodation reservations must be made well in advance. Hotels demand an advance cash deposit at the time of booking for the entire period being reserved. Some hotels require a deposit to cover meals as well. Tipping is optional, as most hotels have a 5 percent valued added tax (VAT) and 10 percent service charge, but staff expects gratuities nevertheless. Air conditioning and hot water are often a problem in hotels, in addition to the frequent breakdown of elevators. Few hotels have working smoke detectors, and emergency exists are often sealed. Telephone service is erratic, often making contact even within the hotel difficult, as well as creating obstacles to confirming or changing onward reservations. Room laundry service is usually offered. The Central Bank of Nigeria has embarked on strict enforcement of directives that foreign visitors to Nigeria must pay for hotel accommodations in foreign currency.
Port Harcourt is the center of the national oil industry and offers a large selection of accommodation to the industry.
Full telephone IDD service is available. The country code is 234 and the outgoing international code is 009. International telegraph and telex services are operated by Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) in all large cities. GSM 900 and 1800 cellular networks are used Network operators include Econet Wireless Nigeria Ltd and NITEL GSM. Airmail to Europe is unreliable and takes up to three weeks. Delivery may be more reliable through international couriers who are represented in major towns.
Electricity is 220/250 volts AC, 50Hz, single phase.
240 volts AC, 50Hz. Single phase.
D,G
There are restaurants of all varieties in Lagos and the major towns. European and Oriental food is readily available. Although there are self-service cafes, mainly in department stores, most restaurants have table service. Nigerian food is typical of that found throughout West Africa, with regional variations. In the north, meat is more popular than in other areas. Spirits are expensive. Larger hotels and clubs have bars and cocktail loungesNational specialties:
• Yam.
• Sweet potatoes.
• Plantain and pepper soup.
• Suya (barbecued liver
and beef on sticks) and kilishi (spiced dried meat).
• In the east egussi soup (stew of meat, dried fish and melon seeds).
• In the south, goat meat and bush meat - particularly antelope - are considered a delicacy.National drinks
• There are many brands of locally brewed and bottled beer which are very good.
• Nigerian brewed Guinness is available. Tipping
: Unless a service charge has been included, 10 per cent is expected for most services. Note that for taxi drivers the fare including a tip should be agreed before the journey. Airport porters are usually tipped per case.Nightlife
There are nightclubs in many of the hotels in Lagos and in the Surulere district. There is nightlife in other towns, however, due to socio-cultural and religious differences, some areas have a more subdued nightlife. Some clubs have live entertainment, details of which are given in the local newspapers. North of Oyo in Ogbomosho, there is a lively market, particularly in the evenings. Local festivals which generally take place in the summer months provide a good opportunity to see dancing, music and traditional costumes.
