Nigeria

*Fantastic crew who helped us get by a broken down truck in the road*

Nigeria was a huge milestone for us in our West Africa journey. At the time we were traveling, it was the hardest country for overland travelers to pass through on the coastal West Africa route. It was really difficult to get a land border visa in any embassy along the way (traveling south from Morocco). Visas on arrival were only being issued at the airport for people flying in. People driving West Africa were stopping their travel to fly home to get visas at embassies in their home countries, deciding to turn back, or shipping their vehicles around. There are many more details on our visa blog, but visas for Nigeria were our hardest and most expensive to obtain.

It was also a country with political turmoil and a huge presidential election happening a month before we hoped to pass through. The government and citizens were preparing for violence and conflict related to the elections. To exacerbate all of this, shortly before the elections the government issued new currency (in order to prevent buying election votes) which led to an extreme currency crisis accompanied by fuel shortages.

*Our route through Nigeria - 5 days in Lagos, 5 days of driving*

We were interested in exploring Nigeria - it is the most populous African country with a vibrant reputation for art and culture. But we were hearing of others hiring private security to escort them to drive through the country and that is definitely not how we prefer to travel.

*Approaching the land border from Benin to Nigeria at Idiroko*

While we were debating what to do the elections proceeded calmly. When we later spoke to people in Nigeria there was national pride in how the police, military and vigilantes (their word) all came together to enforce a peaceful process. In a nation with a recent (in the last 60 years) history of bloody coups and civil war this was significant. Partly because of the pattern of British colonization, the nation is divided along cultural and religious lines with the southern, coastal section being mostly Christian and the northern area mostly Muslim. (The British were predominantly concerned with controlling the coastal areas for for trading purposes.) Today, political power moves back and forth between parties aligned with each of these two regions.

In the end we decided to drive through on our own. We had been thinking about and discussing the whole definition of “safety” and how and who determines the criteria for travelers. The reality is we would be driving through areas labeled “do not travel” by the US State Department and other UK and European advisory sites both in Nigeria and along the border with Cameroun. However, these “unsafe” areas are places that people are living in. Women, children, and families are conducting their daily lives in communities that are supporting and caring for each other. The whole definition of “safe” in West Africa felt like a concept created by external people looking in from the outside. We all bring our own biases and backgrounds to these evaluations. On the ground, we were still experiencing warm and hospitable people who were welcoming to and curious about visitors. But we were also asked repeatedly by Nigerians if we had run into any “bad people” so we knew there were still issues to be concerned about.

*Arriving at the border gate between Benin and Nigeria*

*Our friendly welcome from Oke, Nigerian customs agent*

We were required to have a police escort from the border to the airport (about a two hour drive). We had secured approval for a visa but they were only issued at the airport so an officer had to accompany us until we had the visas inserted in our passport.

*Our immigration escort, James riding along with us.*

It was a hefty charge of $200 for each of the two of us to get the escort, but on the upside with one officer riding with us and two in front in a pickup with flashing lights, we got to speed through the approximately 80 police stops and military barriers on the way to Lagos airport.

We easily made it to Lagos, said goodbye to our escort at the airport and made our way to a hotel that we planned to spend a night in while we secured our Cameroun visas at a nearby embassy.

The first challenge was money. In the time since the election, the government had backtracked a little and made the old currency still legal tender, so the problem was not quite as acute. But ATMs were still short of money and cash withdrawals were limited. We knew we needed to secure a few hundred dollars to be able to buy gas and food on our route.

Through asking around, we ended up at the Eko Hotel gift shop where a crew of money changers with stacks of cash were happy to give us Nigerian naira for the US dollars we were carrying with us. (We stocked up on new $100 bills before entering West Africa knowing we would need them for Nigeria and a few other places.)

*Our friendly money changers. If money go before, all ways do lie open.*

The first hiccup in our plans to head fairly quickly across the country was the fact that the consul at the Cameroun embassy was out of town so we had to wait five days to get our visas. Darn. But these things happen, so we found an Airbnb and hunkered down to take care of some business, catch up on travel plans and details, blog writing, truck cleaning, and maintenance. We also found some time to explore Lagos and its surroundings.

*Nike Art Gallery - West Africa’s Largest privately owned contemporary and traditional art collection, curated by artist Nike Davies Okundaye*

*Tour of some of Dawn’s favorite pieces*

We were sung a greeting when we arrived at the gallery by these two lovely young women. We enjoyed it and laughed with people wanting to have their picture taken with us, we are not usually that popular.

*First time sitting on a couch with a big screen TV in three months*

*Dawn cooking up some noodles for the upcoming long driving days*

*We were almost the only tenants in this huge apartment building in Lagos*

Then, finally, Cameroun visas obtained, we were ready to set on our way across the country. Significantly delayed and still a little unsure about security issues on our route, we decided to push through some long driving days.

Our whole lives we had heard about problems in Nigeria. Images of violence and stories of corruption from US media sources were in the backgrounds of our minds. This was alongside memories of hearing about online scammers based out of Nigeria preying on people and stealing their money. As we drove the country, we admitted to each other that we felt more on edge because of this, but in reality exploring Nigeria felt similar to the other West African countries we had driven through. We kept ourselves entertained on the drive by listening to a very academic book on tape, Formation by Feyi Fawehinmi and Fola Fagbule, about the early history and founding of Nigeria. We continued with a novel called Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about the civil war of the 1960’s and the short-term separation of the state of Biafra in the south. The two very different books made us realize how little we really knew about this hugely populated country and its tumultuous history.

*Spreading grain on the margins of the road to dry*

But all was not sunshine and rainbows for us, despite our optimism. The military stops were constant and draining. Sometimes you would barely get up to a reasonable speed and then you would see random items in the road ahead and have to start braking again. On the upside, we quickly determined which ones were serious and which ones we could get away with just driving through and waving. Pretty much if a person was not actively blocking our way we would just keep driving. At least no one ever chased us. And even when we had to stop, officers were friendly and mostly just curious about who we were and what we were doing. Many asked for our WhatsApp numbers so they could keep in touch. People repeatedly told us they wanted to come to the US and mentioned how difficult it was to get a visa (so it goes both ways).

*Typical barrier for police or military check point, pieces of wood.*

Here is a brief run down of our journey across Nigeria from Lagos to the most southern open border between Nigeria and Cameroun. (Limited border access due to violence and unrest on the Cameroun side.) This is the most common and direct route overland travelers were taking at the time.

Day One - Lagos to Asaba - 450 kilometers in eight hours

We woke at the crack of dawn ready for a long drive. Water and lunch packed, gas tank full and audiobooks cued up. Most of the way was a fast four-lane road, although we did have 21 police stops (ones we actually were stopped at, there were at least twice that many set up). There were some soft asks for gifts, but when Andy would say he “just had his smile to give,” he would get a big smile back and we would be waved through.

We stopped once for gas and made good time, so we decided to stop over in Asaba to go for a walk. Asaba was a modern, prosperous town with nice hotels so we chose one with secure parking, walked for a couple of hours exploring the town, and then tucked in for the night. We could have wild camped along the way through Nigeria but opted to stay in hotels, mostly to maximize our driving time and to be honest we were still harboring some faint doubts about security.

Day Two - Asaba to Takum - 468 kilometers in eleven hours

This was a longer day but the countryside was becoming more rural and interesting. We crossed the river Niger as we listened to our audiobook Formation discuss the importance of the river in early trading routes. This day we were stopped twenty times and Andy was switching up his responses to requests for gifts. When one of the officers asked him for something, Andy asked him if he had a gift for him instead. After all, he was the guest in the country. More smiles and laughter and waving us on. We never paid a bribe on the road in Nigeria. One officer tried to worry us by telling us we could not get by with an International Driver’s Permit, and that Andy was required to have a Nigerian Driver’s License, but we talked our way out of that too. (It is not true.)

*Still the ever present police and military check points*

*Villages becoming more traditional as we head north*

It was quickly becoming one of the most scenically beautiful routes we had driven in West Africa.

*Beautiful mango sellers at a police stop let us take their picture. We did buy some, how could we resist?*

The road to Abakaliki was a good one, some slow-moving trucks to navigate but otherwise we made good progress. After Abakaliki the potholes started to grow. We had filled up with gas in Abakaliki having heard that it was the last modern gas station on the route, but we actually saw modern pumps all the way to Takum. We pulled into a guest house in Takum at dusk, paid $5, were the only guests, secured a spartan room with a lackluster fan, and attempted to sleep. (It was 90’ all night, not our best rest.)

Day Three - Takum to Mayo Ndaga 417 kilometers in eleven hours

This is when we started to lose our smooth asphalt road. There was decent tar for the first 80km, and then good gravel to Nguroje. The last modern gas station we noticed was in Bali. Fuel was available in roadside bottle stands, but we have been avoiding those to date.

*Beautiful mountain plateau views across Taraba state*

Driving this route we had what we think of as a classic West African driving experience. The road we were on was our only option for crossing into Cameroun and we were 400 kilometers into an 800 kilometer route. On a narrow stretch we came upon a large broken down truck. The driver was waiting for a part, which would be a few more days. Another truck was stuck behind him waiting for the first truck to get his part. When we arrived at the scene, they immediately started troubleshooting how to get us around them and on our way. Helpers were called on from the nearby village and a group of men literally dug out the bank so that we could squeeze by. Incredible. Repeatedly in Africa we have been treated with such warmth and kindness, people help each other here. It is normal, so much humanity and sense of community.

*Broken down truck with another one stuck behind it*

*Navigating around the rear truck, no problem*

*Digging out the bank so we can get around the front truck*

*Meanwhile Dawn helpfully takes selfies with other onlookers*

In Mayo Ndaga we camped at a military compound where we were warmly welcomed and payment was refused.

Day Four - Mayo Ndaga to Banyo - two hours to the border

Our last day in Nigeria was sunny and clear, and we were grateful for the continued dry weather. Roads were rough but passable with high clearance. It took us two hours to get to the border. Procedures were slow with multiple log book entries for our yellow fever vaccines, vehicle permit and passports but we made it through in another couple of hours. The drive south to Banyo in Cameroun was unpaved and rough but also still dry and easily navigable.

In the end, our only regret was that we didn’t spend more time in Nigeria, exploring some more of the remote cultural and natural sites. Partly because we let underlying caution get to us, and partly because we were still pushing through, on the edge of monsoon season, knowing that some of the upcoming roads could become impassable. The journey continues as we work our way south. Thank you for reading! Next up, Cameroun.

Cameroun, Gabon and the Taco Taco

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