Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you're travelling overland to Nigeria, the embassy in Accra (Ghana) is consistently
rated as the best place in West Africa to apply for a visa, as no letter of introduction is re-
quired. The embassy in Niamey (Niger) also claims to issue visas the same way.
Visa Extensions
Visas can reportedly be extended at the
Federal Secretariat
(Alagbon Cl, Ikoyi)
in Lagos, but it's a
byzantine process of endless forms, frustration and dash, with no clear sense of success.
Visas for Onward Travel
Benin
One-month visas cost CFA15,000 (CFA, not naira), with two photos, and take 24
hours to issue. The embassy in Lagos carries an uninviting reputation, and unexpected ex-
tra fees are not unknown.
Cameroon
A one-month single-entry visa costs CFA50,000 (CFA, not naira), with two
photos, and is issued in a day. As well as Lagos and Abuja, there's a useful consulate in
Calabar.
Chad
Two photos and N5500 will get you a one-month single-entry visa, which you can
pick up the next day.
Niger
Best obtained in Abuja, a one-month single-entry visa costs N5300 with two pho-
tos, and is issued in 48 hours. The consulate in Kano (where the fee can also be paid in
CFA) is also an excellent and speedy place to apply - take three photos.
PRACTICALITIES
Newspapers
Privately owned English-language daily newspapers include the
Guardian, This Day, Punch
and
Vanguard
.
TV
There are more than 30 national and state TV stations, broadcasting in English and all major local languages.
South African satellite DSTV is hugely popular.
Electricity
Supply is 220V. Plugs are square British three pin, but most hotels have European two-pin adaptors.
Languages
English, Pidgin, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Edo, Efik.
Getting There & Away
AIR
The vast majority of flights to Nigeria arrive in Lagos, although there are also internation-
al airports in Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano. Airports are well organised and have official
porters, but plenty of touts outside.
LAND
