Abuja, Nigeria Report of what it's like to live there - 06/01/24
Personal Experiences from Abuja, Nigeria
Background:
1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?
No. I've lived in Mexico, Romania, Israel, Cuba, Liberia, and also in Lagos, Nigeria.
2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
USA, 15 hours + layover through Paris or Frankfurt.
3. What years did you live here?
2022-2024.
4. How long have you lived here?
Two years.
5. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?
Diplomatic mission.
Housing, Groceries & Food:
1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
I live in a three-bedroom apartment in Route 66, the housing compound for 66 Amcit families, right next to the American International School of Abuja. There are also two-bedroom apartments and larger townhouses here. It's around 15 minutes to the Embassy when traffic is good. We have a little bar/"restaurant" called the Filling Station that makes weekends fun. The other housing compounds have bigger places, but are farther away and don't have a watering hole.
2. How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Maybe a little more expensive? Not too bad. You can get anything you want either on the local market, at the commissary, or from Amazon.
3. What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
Nothing. No regrets.
4. What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
Some good Indian, Italian, and Lebanese places, Pizza Hut, a so-so Johnny Rockets, a so-so Burger King, all the West African food you could want.
5. Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?
Nothing unusual.
Daily Life:
1. How do you send and receive your letters and package mail? Are local postal facilities adequate?
Personal pouch.
2. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
People employ drivers, nannies, cooks, housekeepers, fitness coaches. I pay $300/month for a part-time steward (cooking and cleaning). That seems about average. I also have a one-on-one kickboxing trainer who charges $100 for eight lessons.
3. Do you feel that it is safe to walk, run or hike outside? Are there areas where bike riding is possible? What is the availability and safety of outdoor space for exercising? Are these easily accessible?
I mean, I wouldn't go alone. People do walk, run, hike, bike, climb the Rocks. It's hot, there are security threats, people will ask you for money, women might get harassed. Me, I stick to the air conditioned safe places.
4. What kinds of gyms or other sports/workout facilities are available? Are they expensive?
Haven't tried the local gyms, but there are workout facilities and pools at the various housing compounds and at the Embassy. Also tennis courts, volleyball areas, and soccer fields. Fitness trainers for a variety of sports will come to the compounds.
5. Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
Widely accepted: sort of. Safe: not really. Open a Nigerian bank account when you get here and use that bank card -- that's the safest option. I've been fine just using cash, but the country did have a cash shortage last year that made me wish I'd just opened an account.
6. What English-language religious services are available locally?
Chabad is here, and you can find expats and colleagues to celebrate the Jewish holidays with. Lots of varieties of English-language Christian denominations around. Not sure if the local Muslim options are in English.
7. How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
It's nice to know some pidgin, Hausa, Yoruba, or Igbo, but not really necessary. Tutors are available and affordable.
8. Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
Oh God yes. This is not an accessible or inclusive country. No sidewalks, no ramps, no accommodations.
Transportation:
1. Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
We're not allowed to take local transportation.
2. What kind of vehicle(s) including electric ones do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, infrastructure, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car or vehicles do you advise not to bring?
No electric vehicles. That may go without saying, but apparently one of my colleagues has tried it and is now very unhappy. Bring big sturdy SUVs that you don't mind getting dinged and dusty.
Phone & Internet:
1. Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
You can get home internet in around a week, and it's decent for gaming and streaming and so on -- when it's working. We have two different internet suppliers going in our home because one or the other is ALWAYS out. This costs less than $40/month, so, whatevs.
2. Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
I just use my Embassy work phone, and Skype / Facetime.
Pets:
1. Are qualified veterinarians and/or good kennel services available? Do animals need to be quarantined upon entry to the country? Are there other considerations regarding pets that are particular to this country?
No quarantine. There are a couple good vets in Abuja, and many families have dogs and cats of all sizes. Some families are sorry they brought big dogs if they end up in a smaller apartment due to housing pool constraints, though.
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities:
1. What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?
EFM positions at the Embassy or teleworking.
2. What volunteer opportunities are available locally?
There are a lot of volunteer opportunities, from children's homes to women's issues to sports coaching opportunities to environmental issues -- if you can think of it, it's probably here. That said, as I write this, we're only allowed to travel within (I think) ten miles of the Embassy, so some of the things you want to do may actually be outside our circle.
3. What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?
Work is usually business casual, and people push the boundaries of how casual that is. For higher-level meetings, suits or at least something a step up from business casual is expected. You'd only see formal / fancy dress at the Marine Ball.
Health & Safety:
1. Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
Oh, yeah, this post is a mess. Constant threat of terrorism and crime. Gunshots in the neighborhood lead to the kids at the American International School taking cover every so often. Keep a go bag handy, keep your pets' rabies info up to date, and be ready to be evacuated at any time. To be fair, that only happened once in the past two years, but it sure happened suddenly and it could happen again.
2. Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
Malaria, stomach upsets, parasites. There's always someone out sick with some kind of ailment. You'd typically be medevaced for anything requiring anything approaching surgery, unless everything happened too fast to get you on a plane. That said, the local Turkish hospital is pretty decent. They took good care of colleagues with appendicitis, and I trusted them for a minor superficial surgery because I'm cheap and didn't want to pay $5K for it in the States.
3. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
Harmattan can be grueling. The dust never stops during those months. Otherwise, not too bad.
4. What do people who suffer from environmental or food allergies need to know?
Harmattan dust is brutal. Local cooks aren't food-allergy-aware. Be careful.
5. Are there any particular mental health issues that tend to crop up at post, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (winter blues)?
Abuja can be extremely stressful, what with the unfilled vacancies, the high-fraud environment, the pace of work, and the constant background noise of possible terrorism and crime. The Med Unit is good at offering workshops and events focused on resilience (and they do a good job of seeming like they offer it because they care, and not because A Resilient Employee Is A Productive Employee).
6. What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
Sometimes it's hot and wet, sometimes it's hot and dry. But sometimes you get a nice cool morning and it makes you feel optimistic about the universe again.
Schools & Children:
1. What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
There's the American International School (AISA), where most of the Embassy kids go; a German school; some other options. AISA's pretty good, including the high school, but they know we're a captive audience, so some things slide. It's hard to get them to answer e-mails, for instance. Bullying doesn't seem to be part of the culture overall, but the school could do much better supporting LGBTQIA+ kids and keeping some of the super-religious kids from proselytizing.
2. Are local sports classes and/or activities available for kids?
The school has a variety of sports teams, and lots of kids take lessons from local trainers at a reasonable cost.
Expat Life:
1. What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
Abuja has a sizeable expat community with many opportunities for socializing. Morale is mostly high, although people are more than ready to leave at the end of their tours.
2. What are some typical ways to socialize, either with local people or with other expatriates? Are there groups or clubs that you can recommend?
We mostly make our own fun: parties, game nights, karaoke, volleyball... There are a couple movie theaters and malls, and people go out to restaurants.
3. Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?
Lagos is better for singles, but Abuja is fine too. Abuja doesn't have a thriving night life, but there's plenty to do if you look for it. In either city, nannies are affordable and people really like children.
4. Is it easy to make friends with locals here? Are there any prejudices or any ethnic groups who might feel uncomfortable here?
It can be difficult to make friends with locals because many of them just want to "japa" -- to leave the country -- and they will relentlessly hit you up for a visa, an introduction, whatever it takes. Nigerians will also go the extra mile to show hospitality, and friendship is something they very much value. Like anywhere, once you've found your friends, they're your friends forever.
People may have prejudices against different religions. I find that many Nigerians don't really know what it means to be Jewish. I used to explain it by saying "You know, like Moses... or Jesus, Jesus was Jewish" but then people just thought I was a kind of Christian they hadn't heard of before.
5. Is this a good city for LGBT expatriates? Why or why not?
Abuja is super-conservative, but there are some NGOs and activists working to improve the environment for LGBTQIA+ people and families. The USG community is very welcoming, and there are several out employees. Dating is difficult, I hear.
6. 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.
7. What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
Working at the Embassy has been amazing. It's a good team, and the work is important. I've enjoyed seeing my child learn more and more at the school.
The best trips and non-work experiences have been outside Nigeria.
8. What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
Not really.
9. Is this a "shopping post"? Are there interesting handicrafts, artwork, antiques, or other items that people typically buy there?
Not really.
10. What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
Abuja's a planned city with good roads and amazing geography. There are shuttles to and from work, and there's plenty to do. Much less chaotic than Lagos -- especially the airport. It's fine.
Words of Wisdom:
1. What do you wish you had known about this particular city/country before moving there?
How important it would be to actually have a bank account at a Nigerian bank so I could have a working credit card, instead of trying to make it through two years just with cash. Who knew a country with such a developed banking system could just... run out of banknotes? Lesson learned.
2. Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?
I mean, yes, but I'm not interested in doing a THIRD Nigeria tour.
3. If you move here, you can leave behind your:
Winter clothes.
4. But don't forget your:
Sense of humor.
5. Do you recommend any books or movies about this city/country for those who are interested in learning more?
Anything by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The science fiction anthology Africa Risen. Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi.
6. Do you have any other comments?
If you come to Abuja, take the PAR/Referral training as early as possible, so you know what's permitted and what's not. Then do your consular colleagues a solid and just don't submit any PARs unless it's really, truly urgent. Remember: Just because you've had the briefing doesn't mean you can't lie and say you know nothing about visas.
