Abuja - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
There's intertribal hostility here, but Nigerians in general are welcoming of non-Nigerians of any background. Some may assume that any Asian person is Chinese, or that someone from Pakistan is Indian, etc. There are some women in positions of power, and many professional women, yet the stereotype that a woman's highest calling is marriage and motherhood persists. In short, these problems do exist and are pervasive, but not in an every-single-moment, incredibly-oppressive way. - Jun 2024
Gender equality doesn't exist. In the city, you have modern young women who work modern jobs - but on the other hand, even within the city, you have women who live and work like it's the dark ages. I'm not going to get into the religious situation, as the issues are well-known. - Sep 2019
Yes! OMG! Women here are treated unfairly at best, in my opinion. Their lives seem to be a misery of hard work and harder family lives. Ethnic minorities and political parties vie for power with violence. It seems as though Boko Haram runs things in the North and bandits rule the seas outside Lagos. I've heard of robberies on the highway from here to Lagos. It is a 50% Christian, 50% muslim country and frankly, that seems to the least acrimonious difference. Politics and the constant fight for money, and power seem to fuel most of the unrest. - Feb 2019
Nigeria is Boko Haram territory, so outside of the city, yes. Inside Abuja it is fine. - Apr 2018
Outwardly, there are no issues. - Jun 2016
Interestingly, as a white male, I have been very conscious of getting lots of privileged attention around town. I have also observed some of my African American female colleagues being flat-out ignored. Also, Nigeria is almost evenly split between Christians and Muslims, but my general impression is that they usually get along without any issues, in spite of the Boko Haram madness in the north. - Aug 2015
Read the news. Boko Haram is a major security issue in the northeast of the country. There are killings done by the herdsman over grazing/farming issues, religion, crimes, etc. There are kidnappings for ransom of foreigners. There are still deep seated tribal prejudices among themselves. - Jun 2015
Yes, Read up on Boko Haram. Even amongst themselves, there is a big divide between the 'have's' and the 'have-not's'. There is a lot of tribal/feudal prejudices. - Aug 2014
Yes. Probably hardest for African-Americans who are regularly assumed to be Nigerian and treated as such until they make it clear they are expats (which can sometimes be hard to convince people). - May 2014
Yes. But generally it is not directed against expats (well...gender prejudice unfortunately transcends most boundaries). - May 2013
Lots of issues, particularly amongst Nigerians. Expatriates don't feel these as much. The two exceptions are gender and age issues. In my experience, Nigerians (both male and female) don't give female expatriate staff (particularly those under age 50) the same respect as their (younger) male counterparts. While this is a statement that certainly holds true in many developing countries, the gender and age bias that I experienced in Nigeria was unlike anyplace else I have ever lived or worked. Women under 50 without previous West Africa experience should take heed of this warning. - Jun 2009
Not for expats. - Mar 2009
I notice a lot of racial tension from Nigerians to Nigerians. I get a lot of attention for being white, and I strongly believe it’s racisim even if it's not in a violent form. I'm constantly called - Sep 2008
Nothing that expats would run into. Amongst Nigerians themselves, there can be tremendous trouble. - Aug 2008
There is a lot of tension between the tribal groups. - Jul 2008
