City Introduction

Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, is also known as the Federal Capital Territory. Located at the side of Gurara River as a tributary of Central Niger River, Abuja is at the junction of Niger State, Kaduna State, Plateau State and Kewarra state, about 500 km from the former capital of Lagos, and is the country's geographical center. Its downtown is divided into the two parts to strengthen the linkage of the federal government to all the regions and the peoples; additionally, resolve the issues generated from Lagos’s excessive expansion of scale. In 1975, Muhammad Military Government proposals to build a new capital. In October 1979, Shagari civilian government officially approved the blueprint of the new capital, Abuja, and then the first phase of construction was started. In December 1991, the federal government was officially moved from Lagos to Abuja. Not until about in 1996 did the major sectors of the government gradually complete the relocation. The central area is for government agencies, and there are shops and entertainment facilities in the cultural and educational areas and residential areas. There is the airport and expressways leading to the capitals of all the states. The city has an area of over 920,000 square kilometers.

 

 

 

 

History and Culture

On October 1, 1960, it declared its independence, and became a member of the Commonwealth. On October 1, 1963, the Federal Republic of Nigeria was established. After the independence of the country, the military coup occurred repeatedly, resulting in the long-term governing by the military. In November 1993, the Abacha-led Abacha military government took over the governing power, and set up the Provisional Ruling Council and the Federal Executive Council to exercise the state power. Due to the sudden death of Abacha on June 8, 1998, the following day the Chief of the Defence Staff Abubakar took over as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, and determined to hand over the governing power to an elected government on May 29, 1999. In the presidential elections held in February 1999, Obasanjo, the candidate of the People's Democratic Party and the former Head of State Olusegun was elected President of the Fourth Republic, and was officially inaugurated on May 29.

 

 

 

 

Natural Environment

Located in the southwest edge of the Central Plateau, it is a tropical savannas hilly zone and sparsely populated, with fresh air and nice scenery. Its terrain is high in the north and low in the south. Along the coast there is a 80-kilometers-wide strip-shaped plain; its southern part is featured with low mountains and hills, of which the most is at the elevation of 200-500 meters; in the middle there is the Niger-Benue valley; its northern Hausaland highland accounts for more than one quarter of the national area, with an average elevation of 900 m; its eastern border is mountainous, and its northwest and northeast parts are respectively Kosei Sokoto Basin and Chad Lake West Basin. There are many rivers, of which the Niger River and its tributary Benue River are the main rivers. The Niger River is 1,400 kilometers long in its territory.

 

 

 

 

Climate

It enjoys the tropical monsoon climate, with hot and rainy days. Throughout the year the seasons are divided into dry and rainy seasons, with the annual average temperature of 26 ~ 27 ℃.

 

 

 

 

Useful Information

Network: Although Nigerian government has invested a lot in the Internet access, so the Internet has a larger coverage in the large cities, and the network signal is generally unstable and slower, with higher Internet access fees. Internet café can be easily found in larger cities.

Post Office: The postage for mailing post cards back to China is about RMB 6 (150 naira), and it takes about 20 to 30 days to reach the destination. There are few post offices in Nigeria. So if there is an urgent need to send items to China, it is best to use DHL and other international express services.

Telephone Number of Embassy:00234-9-4618661/2/4,00234-9-9044182

Security Duty Telephone number:00234-8065842688

Fax:00234-9-9044177

E-mail:address chinaemb_ng@mfa.gov.cn

 

 

 

 

Visa Information

The application process for various visas is as follows:

1) Tourist visa requirements:Complete visa application form, applicant's passport (must be valid for at least six months), a 2-inch photo and a copy of one way or round-trip air tickets are required. You may need to submit a hotel reservation form.

2) Visitor visa (valid for three months and prohibit holders from working in Nigeria)

Go to your nearest local Nigerian embassy or consulates to submit your passport (must be valid for at least six months), two 2-inch photos, a copy of the applicant’s round-trip air tickets (or a copy of the one-way air ticket), an invitation issued from Nigeria (or provided by a travel agency), a day-to-day deposit account proof issued by the bank, yellow fever vaccination certificates, and a proof of accommodation in Nigeria.

3) Business visa (valid for 12 months, multiple entries)

Passport (must be valid for at least six months), two 2-inch photos, a copy of the applicant’s round-trip air tickets (or a copy of the one-way air ticket), a business invitation issued from Nigeria and provision of economic security, a day-to-day deposit account proof issued by the bank, a yellow fever vaccination certificate, and a proof of accommodation in Nigeria are required.

4) STR Visa (three-month work visa)

Notes for this visa application: passport (valid for at least six months), work contracts, vocational qualification proof or certificates of employees’ accepting the work letter, a copy of the applicant’s resume, and three 2-inch photos are required.

 

 

 

 

Currency Exchange

Consumption level---Due to its main dependence on import of manufactured goods, the price of commodities in Nigeria is 4-6 folds of that in China.For an ordinary inn, a single room per night is priced at about RMB 150-250, and a casual meal costs about RMB 20-60. But if you only buy locally produced food, the prices are much lower. For example, a raw egg costs 30 naira, equivalent of RMB 1, and one cooked and processed with chili sauce is priced at 50 naira, beer 150 naira, a piece of beef 50 naira (can make your mouth full) and an apple 50 naira.

Currency Exchange---The local currency is Naira, and RMB 1 is equivalent of about 30 Nigerian Naira. Of them 50 naira (about RMB 2) is the most commonly used as a small change. As it is made of plastics, there is always some Naira with damaged corners, which are usually not acceptable to small vendors, so it is recommended that travelers do not accept such damage money.

UnionPay---Currently, you can use a UnionPay card to withdraw local currency at all ATM machines with the UnionPay logo or InterSwitch logo in Nigeria.

Credit Card---It’s strongly recommended that no credit cards are used in Nigeria, for the card-using environment is extremely dangerous, and there are a good many cases of unauthorized card use.

Tips

There is a much more serious bribery situation of Nigerian officials, so there are some occasions where no tips are needed but are asked to be offered, where more preventions are required.

You can prepare some small denomination Naira for tipping purposes. When paying drivers and other service personnel, you can ask for none of the remaining changes. If so, they will be very grateful to you. After all, taking care of the feelings of local people also helps you to have a smooth and pleasant journey.

 

 

 

 

Religion

The southern residents believe in Christianity and Islam while the northern dwellers keep a faith in Islam. the North-South division may be based on the capital of Abuja; To the extent of their pious faith, Islam believers are relatively loyal.

Tourism Service Number

Abuja Fire Number: 092906118;

Ambulance number: 199;

Abuja police emergency number: 08061581938

 

 

 

 

Notes

In addition to receiving vaccination at home in advance, Chinese citizens intending to visit Nigerian should also carry some other commonly used anti-malaria drugs, such as artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin. Chinese travelers staying in Nigeria should do a good job in good health protection, particularly ""manage your mouth"", which means that do not drink unboiled water, do not eat raw food and unsanitary food, and try to avoid mosquito bites."

 

 

 

 

Festivals (Important/Historical/Folk Ones)

Osun Festival starts on the first Thursday of each August and lasts for 8 days.

Leboku Festival is popular in the Cross River State, Akwa Ibom State and other cassava-planting areas.

The Great Ofala Festival is held by the highest leader Obi every September.