TRAVEL INFORMATION IN NIGERIA

Air Travel
Nigeria is the hub for the West Africa sub region. Murtala Mohammed International airport is the busiest airport in the Nigeria, and most international flights come in through Murtala Mohammed. Other International airports include Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, Aminu Kano International Airpor Kano and Port Harcourt International Airport.

Most major international airlines fly into Nigeria, including British Airway, Virgin Atlantic, Qatar Air, Lufthansa, Swiss, Air France, Emirates, South African Airlines,  Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airlines, KLM, Ethiopian Airlines etc.

less than 25 international airlines serve the country from all over the world. You can come into Nigeria by air through Port Harcourt, Ikeja, Kano,  and Abuja-the gateways by air.
Or by sea, through the ports of Lagos (Apapa and Tin Can), Port Harcourt,  Burutu, Koko,Warri, and Calabar.
By road, you can come into Nigeria through several authorized border posts from Benin Republic, Niger Republic, and the Republic of Cameroon.

When To Visit Nigeria
Be it for conferences, business, sports, and other reasons, you can visit Nigeria anytime. However, there are two distinct seasons-the rainy and the dry.
During the rainy season, rain may inconvenience tourist who is keen on sight-seeing, for it could rain for seven days, especially in the coastal areas without a break!
To all intents, the dry season, which begins generally late in October and runs into late February or early March in the south, and April in the north, is the best time to visit Nigeria for leisure.


Entry Formalities:

Health Regulations
Cholera and Small Pox vaccinations are required for visitors entering Nigeria. Yellow Fever vaccinations are required for arrivals from infected areas. Children under the age of one year are however exempted. No certificate of AIDS free tests are required. Visitors from Europe and North America should take precaution steps against Malaria Fever, which is common in the country.

Customs
Visitors to Nigeria are allowed four liters of spirit and 200 cigarettes duty free, personal effects such as cameras, watches, pen lighters, and cosmetics are allowed duty free within reasonable quantity. Other goods, such as video equipment, are dutiable and visitors are expected to pay the duties on the spot. If in doubt, ask to see a senior customs officer for clearance.
Illegal drugs of all descriptions are not allowed into Nigeria.


Passport
All visitors to Nigeria must carry a valid national passport or other internationally recognized travel documents endorsed for travel to Nigeria.

Visa
Citizens of ECOWAS states are allowed to enter Nigeria without a visa, subject to their stay not exceeding three months.
Requests for multiple entry visa will be given with delay for other nationals provided they meet the requirements for entry into Nigeria.
The above entry regulations are subject to changes.

Telephone
Public telephone booths are available in some major towns. They are coin operated.


Telegram and Telexes
Telegrams and telexes can only be sent from hotels where the facility exists. Otherwise, the nearest NITEL office will serve the purpose gladly. There are fax and facsimile facilities.


Measures
Nigeria operates a metric system, through the Imperial measure is still usually referred to. Cloth is sold in meters and yards, beef in kilograms, and petrol in liters. Distance is marked in kilometers, and temperature in centigrade.

Electricity
The main voltage in Nigeria is 220 volts. If you bring along any electrical equipment with 110 volts, remember to bring along a converter.

Newspapers and Magazines
There are may newspapers in English, most of them are national in outlook. There are, however, some provincial newspapers, and their number is growing, especially in the major cities.
Foreign newspapers and magazines are available at the lobbies of most international hotels and airports. Nigeria magazines cover substantial foreign news.

Radio and Television
The Nigeria Television Authority has a network of stations which covers all of the states of the federation. In Lagos state alone, there are three. Almost all of the states have a television station each. You will have a choice of, at least, two channels in almost every location in the country. Where you are lucky, you may have as many as five stations.
The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria also operates a network of broadcasting stations all over the country. Like television, most state governments have their state radio broadcasting station. Many states also have FM stations, which are more of entertainment with music from all over the world are shown.
Broadcast are English are the main local languages. There are fourteen private TV stations now in Nigeria.

Medical Services
As in many countries, medical services or hospital care are borne by visitors themselves. If any travel insurance plan exists in your country of origin, please take one. No reciprocal national health service agreement exists in Nigeria.
Private clinics and hospitals manned by qualified practitioners exist, even in rural towns. Government owned hospitals and teaching hospitals exist in major towns.