Nigeria

Getting around

Car & motorcycle

Nigeria’s road system is good, although for drivers this can bring problems in itself, as smooth sealed road allows Nigerians to exercise their latent talents as rally drivers. The accident rate is frighteningly high, and the only real road rule is survival of the fittest. Avoid driving at night at all costs.

Foreigners driving in Nigeria shouldn’t get much hassle at roadblocks, particularly if your vehicle has foreign plates. If you get asked for a dash, a smile and some patience will often diffuse the request. Note, however, that it’s a legal requirement to wear a seatbelt; not doing so leaves you open to both official and ‘unofficial’ fines. Petrol stations are everywhere, but keep your ear out for strikes than can cause fuel shortages. Diesel can sometimes be hard to come by, so keep your tank topped up.

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Train

Maps show a Nigerian train line, but barely any services run these days. The main lines are Lagos–Kano (via Ibadan and Kaduna) and Port Harcourt–Maiduguri (via Jos).

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Local transport

Each town has at least one motor park full of minibuses and bush taxis that serves as the main transport depot. They’re Nigeria in microcosm – sprawling, chaotic and noisy. Vehicles have wooden signs on their roofs showing their destination, while touts shout out those that need filling. Minibuses don’t run to any schedule, but depart when full.

Bush taxis – big old Peugeots – cost about 25% more. All travel at horrendous speeds, slowing only for potholes and to pay bribes at police checkpoints.

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Air

Internal flights are a quick and relatively cheap way of getting around Nigeria. Flights range between N8000 and N14, 000. Most cities are linked by air to Lagos; you’ll usually have to change planes here if you want to fly between two smaller cities. Airlines include the following:

Aero (496 1340; www.flyaero.com ; Murtala Mohammed International Airport)

Bellview (791 9215; www.flybellviewair.com ; Ozumba Mbadiwe Ave, VI)

Sosoliso Airlines (497 1492; www.sosolisoairline.com ; Murtala Mohammed International Airport)

Virgin Nigeria (461 2747; www.virginnigeria.com ; Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja)

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