What is Lagos, Nigeria like? (crime, safety, country, violence)

[CTownNative]

Im very interested in Lagos and may eventually want to visit there, so im just wondering what it is like there? How is the food? Culture? Safety/crime? Is it fun? I was watching a documentary on Lagos and it seems like a very cool place, and the people seem very nice.

[grapico]

Hrrm... I've lived in Nigeria and been allover the country, though I was primarily in Jos/Kaduna/Abuja... I would say, it is not a visiting place and you would need to get appropriate entry visas. Safety and crime? ha ha...

Anyway how much 3rd world country experience do you have? How much experience in sub saharan Africa do you have?

I would say to do another 3rd world country first (I am not talking Mexico either, then somewhere else in Africa, then maybe you are ready for Nigeria.)

If you haven't, I would take Lagos off your list altogether, unless you can deal with the very real possibility that you might get robbed, kidnapped, etc.

Also always consult your travel warnings and register yourself with embassy, if you decide to go so they know where you are, and can get email updates in case there is a massacre (Christian/Muslim)...

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_928.html

You also need antimalarial pills (I recommend malarone (less chance of side effects)... I'd bring zithromax, lomotil, and ciproflaxacin also. You'll need hepatitis A/B (3 strings), updated tetanus and polio boosters, yellow fever, live typhoid and meningococcal.

Also be aware a lot of the country is under Sharia law, so you should be aware of the customs and if you are in a predominant Christian/Muslim area...

Al Queda is minorly active, but it is mostly MEND, rogue groups, or general christian/muslim violence you'd have to watch out for.

That being said Nigeria has great culture, very friendly people and amazing food... but I wouldn't advise anybody going there that didn't have business there...It is not something to take lightly.

[GlobalTrader]

Mexico and Nigeria are world apart in development.

[CTownNative]

Im only 18 and make minumum wage so this would be a long time into the future, and the only travel experience I have is across the United States and no foreign at all. So I takw with all that said that it wouldn't be a good place to visit than?

[afarah00]

I am somali man who live in the U.S. and want to move to nigeria. I love nigeria people because they are the real true africans.

[SlowWalk]

18 and min wage... You can travel to the gas station and back. Things change in these countries. Lagos is in the oil rich Delta region of Nigeria and is dangerous in ways you wouldn't understand in USA... I'm told Abuja is where the expats set up if given a choice. I know that Ghana, Botswana and Namibia are considered the safest countries in sub-Saharan Africa. You don't need a visa for Botswana, Namibia, South Africa or Senegal... Many countries are English speaking but, many are also French speaking. Some like Angola, Mozambique and one of the Guinies are Portuguese speaking. Western Europe is expensive. Eastern Europe is getting that way. As a first time traveler to developing countries, I recommend Dominican Republic and Thailand (there is no 2nd best place for a single man). In truth, as an 18yo and making miimum wage, I recommend travelling to community college, Air Force and/or Peace Corp. Don't be discouraged. You're asking the right questions.

[slowlane]

Lagos's population is way past enormous, it has grown way out of hand and is environmentally unsustainable and unhealthy. Try a smaller city or country instead. Costa Rica is considered safe and scenic, for instance.

[bamba_boy]

You'd really better travel to some "starter-countries" like maybe Costa Rica first. Lagos and Nigeria as a whole are weirdly psychophrenic - a true mix of 21st century First World and medieval Third World. The educated elite wealthy maybe top 10%, which in a country of 120 million people or so is as large as many whole countries have built a patina of fine restaurants, modern corporations, a decent freeway system (although crumbling), bridges, etc. They send their children to HS at Eton and university at Oxford and Harvard. They own big concrete mansions with marble floors and gold gilt bathroom fixtures in fine gated communities in Lagos and second home in London and Houston. However, much of the wealth if from oil extraction and people not in the government or oil industry tend to be dirt poor.

Also, the army and leaders tend to be Muslim and Hausa (with an occasional mixed-religion Yoruba) but the oil is held in Igbo, Ijaw, or minor tribe territory. This of course makes for an explosive mix with the people in the oil-rich Niger Delta in constant conflict with the central government for taking all the wealth out of the region actually producing it.

However, you CAN visit there and enjoy yourself. Some spectacular beaches, upland areas that are cool and non-malarial, fantastic music clubs - Nigerian music is a fantastic mix of American R&B and traditional African rhythms and raggae. However, you can also get kidnapped in the Delta, catch cerebral fulcicrum malaria, brain eating parasitic worms, vision-robbing river worms, scammed by very skilled street punks, just a whole lot of bad things if you're not careful.

I had a couple of close calls in a year living there that required the security group of the large company that employed me and met and talked to probably half a dozen guys who had got kidnapped and ransommed. I really wouldn't visit at your age and until you're able to go there with some resources - like a couple of Nigerian friends that you trust or a big corporation that you work for there.

That being said, I really enjoyed living in Lagos for nearly a year, even though it felt like living in a human ant-hill with the population of Los Angeles jammed on little islands and peninsulas maybe the size of Austin, TX or less. The pure capitalistic energy of the place is astounding though. Maybe 80% of the people speak decent English, and cultural and recreational opportunities abound. While people do try to scam you, I really felt safer there than in some US cities as the violent crimes and % of armed folks is certainly less than in most U.S. big cities. As chaotic and poorly planned as it is, the very ingeneous people somehow seem to make it work somehow with little or know government assistance. I've noticed that Nigerian do VERY well when they come to the U.S. All that entrepreneurial energy and skill really flourishes when given a better rule of law and access to more capital. They're a lot like early 20th century Jews in America. Some became Bugsey Siegal (like the 402 scam artists today) and some became Albert Einsteins but they did become very influential for their small size and flourished when taken out of repressive central and eastern European countries.

[the troubadour]

Originally Posted by CTownNative

Im only 18 and make minumum wage so this would be a long time into the future, and the only travel experience I have is across the United States and no foreign at all. So I takw with all that said that it wouldn't be a good place to visit than?

Wouldn't recommend it as a first initiation to the outside world. I would suggest a lot of street cred would be required,to say the least.
If you have Africa in mind why not go for an easier introduction? On the West coast, Ghana is a favourite and easy to hook up with other travellers as well.

[CTownNative]

Thanks for all the responses, how about London? Or would trips out of the country be to expensive at my wage right now? Any feedback on that would be apprieciated.