NIGERIA: Abuja City

Abuja National Mosque

Abuja is the capital of Nigeria. Since most Nigerian government agencies are now headquartered in Abuja and most other countries' embassies have been relocated from Lagos to Abuja, it is a surprisingly expensive city.

In the aftermath of the Nigerian-Biafra War, the Nigerian government sought to locate its capital in a location not predominated by any one ethnic group.

The site of Abuja was chosen for the Federal Capital Territory as it was centrally located and had few existing residents. Plans for Abuja were first announced by decree in 1976. Most of the construction for city began in the 1980's. Today, it is Africa's only purpose-built capital city.

It has an excellent road network, beautiful rolling terrain and modern Nigerian architecture, however this focus on the car means it is a difficult city for pedestrians. As in the rest of Nigeria, electric power is erratic.

Plane
International flights to the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport are offered by several airlines, notably, Egypt Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Lufthansa, KLM, and British Airways. There are no direct flights to Abuja from the United States.

Although it is possible to fly directly from the U.S. or other locations to Lagos, and take a domestic flight to Abuja, this is not recommended.

The international and domestic terminals in Lagos are not connected and transferring between terminals is a hassle. Furthermore, domestic Nigerian airlines will allow only one bag to be checked on without charge, even if your international arriving flight had a larger baggage allowance.

The airport is located approximately 40 kilometers from the city center. Although construction has begun on a light-rail system to the city center, for now cars are the only realistic way to get to the city.

If your hotel or employer is sending someone to pick you up, get the name of that person and the license plate number of the vehicle in advance. If you do not have a vehicle pre-arranged, take an official (green-colored) taxi.

Bus
You can travel to Abuja by bus from major cities like Lagos, Benin, Kano and Port Harcourt. Reliable services include: ABC Transport (with air conditioned luxurious bus rides), Ekene Dili Chukwu, Chisco Transport (CTN) and Young Shall Grow. The preferred bus service would be ABC transport.

However, you are advised to take only day trip buses from Lagos or Kano. You must be conscious that bus trips are not the safest as in rare situations buses have been attacked by robbers. If you're unfamiliar with the country, do not take a bus without an escort.

Buses allow you to appreciate the terrain, the towns and cities and the subtle changes in these and culture as you drive towards the capital either from the south or the north. The building is 150 meters wide and 150 meters long and 50 meters high.

Car
Abuja was a city planned for cars, with loop highway around the city and broad avenues.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to get around without a car, and the strict zoning laws mean that residences are usually far for commercial areas. Abuja does not have the problem of enormous traffic jams or "go slows" as in Lagos. However, the higher speed that cars travel at presents a higher risk of dangerous accidents.

Compounding this are the traffic signals which will stop working during the frequent power outages and the tendency of drivers to ignore lanes and drive dangerously close to other vehicles. Traffic accidents are frequent,so drive defensively. For safety's sake, keep your doors locked and windows rolled up at all times.

Abuja has a few strict driving laws that are enforced. Seat belts are required of both the driver and front seat passenger. Failure to obey this law leads to significant inconveniences as the vehicle is impounded and not released until the fine is paid.

Taxi
Fortunately, for the visitor, taxis are plentiful and cheap. Most are green and some very beaten up, but they get you there. Fares around town (eg a 5km trip) are N300-N400 depending on the mood of the driver and your bargaining skills.

Always agree the fare in advance and try to have exact change. Having a GPS app on your phone and a rough idea of where you should be heading also a good idea. Private taxi companies are also available - offering phone dispatch and better cars, fares for these companies are about N1,500 - N2,000 for a trip across town.

Abuja is a beautiful city. The tourist attractions would be:

5 Abuja Parks
- The Abuja Millennium Park
- The National Mosque
- The Ecumenical Center
- National Assembly Complex
- Aso Rock

Currency Museum of the Central Bank of Nigeria.This small museum, located inside the modern Central Bank of Nigeria building, shows the history of currency used in modern Nigeria as well as ancient mediums of exchange used in west Africa.

The Abuja Millennium Park is being expanded in an ambitious tourist project to include the Millennium Tower and a Cultural Center and Museum that would boast of some of the most expansive collections of African Art. As of February 2009, the Millenium tower is several years from completion.

Other upcoming projects include the Heritage City Theme Park that would be the largest theme park of African civilizations.

Shopping
- Go shopping at Wuse Market, the main market in Abuja. Everything is available, from fresh food to clothes, music, and electronics. And as markets go, not expensive.

Art & Craft village (across the road from Sheraton Hotel)

Abuja has two cinemas

- Silverbird Cinema, Silverbird / Shoprite mall (near Sheraton hotel). Multiscreen googolplex showing recent Hollywood offerings. N1,000 to N2,000 depending on showtime.

- Ceddi Plaza, 7th Street, CBD. Three screen cinema also run by the Silverbird group.

There is some interesting artwork all over Abuja. Wood carvings, paintings and leatherwork. Everything is available in surrounding countries quite a bit cheaper, but if you are here you might as well buy it here.

Food prices in Abuja are high, especially for Western food. There are, however, many good restaurants in Abuja that are arguably worth the money. The Wuse II area is arguably the restaurant hub for Abuja, with new places opening and closing frequently.

Of course, whether you live in Abuja or are just visiting, there are times when you are willing to pay a little extra for the simple fact that there are few to no alternatives.

Exclusive Supermarket 1202 Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II. A cafe/coffeesho p at the back of the supermarket sells good salads, a few Lebanese dishes, icecream, coffee and standard pizza and grilled food. Cheap (Nicoise Salad takeout for N1000).

Mr. Biggs. All over. Burgers.

Mid-range

Rockview Classic Hotel Bar - Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II. Low key bar/ restaurant overlooking the swimming pool in this mid-range hotel (not the indoor restaurant). Worth mentioning as the price/ quality ratio is good by Abuja standards. Tenderloin steak and chips N1,900, Malaysian-style chicken Satay N1,900, Chinese style chicken wings and chips N1,400.
Love Pizza, The Gourmet Pizza People. Freshly baked Italian Pizza made with the finest ingredients. Pizza, wings, salads. Pizzeria, Take out & Delivery; 2 Bouar close, Bangui street, off Ademola Adetokuno Crescent, Wuse 2. (beside Jevenik)
First Turkish Cuisine, 33B Gana Street, Maitama (quite near the Hilton hotel). lunch & dinner. Abuja's only Turkish restaurant? Offers a range of grilled meats, kebabs and lamb chops. The chef is from Turkey and the portions large and tasty by Abuja standards. Mains N2,000 - N2,500.
Schwarma Shop, adjacent to Amigos Supermarket, Wuse II. 700 Naira for Schwarmas and they offer pizzas for somewhere from 1500 Naira.
Southern Fried Chicken. A local knockoff of KFC, but ask them to go easy on the mayo.
Woks & Koi, Silverbird / Shoprite Mall (2nd floor) (near Sheraton hotel), lunch & dinner. Standard shopping mall Chinese restaurant serving moderately unexciting east Asian cuisine, such as beef in oyster sauce. Prices don't include 15% in service & tax, but serving sizes are large, meaning you could share 2 dishes between 3. Mains around N3,000.
Schwarma Shop, adjacent to 212 Supermarket, Usuma St., Maitama. These Schwarmas have cabbage on them. About same price as the one by Amigos
City View, Cape Town Street, Off IBB Way, Wuse Zone 4. Perhaps the best Lebanese food in Abuja, excellent prices, they also host large groups, indoor or outdoor sitting.
Ceddi Plaza has a fast food Chicken restaurant on Second Floor - and Ice Cream
Drumstix, Aminu Kano Crescent. Fast food, Nigerian dishes, Grill, Shawarma and Ice cream.
Tantalizers Burgers. All over.
Cafe at Grand Square, Mohammadu Buhari Way.
Treehouse Grill, 66 Ademola Adetokubo cresent,Beside Mikano Generators, They offer delicious continental dishes with Steaks, Grilled Fish,smoothies, Chicken Kebab with wings and their Milk shake is the best in Abuja.
Cafe at Dunes, Aguiyi Ironsi Street, one on the main floor and one upstairs. Yeah!
MrPickup.biz, Delivery service. Picks up your orders and brings to you for a small fee!
Spice Food In front of Sahad Store, across from Bolton White Hotels, Ahmadu Bellu Road. 07031111005, 08034500653. Delicious Indian food and snacks at very reasonable prices. Main course N1000-N1500, snacks N300-N600. Su-F buffet 12PM-3PM N2000. Dinner 6PM-10PM
AJ's Pizza, adjacent to the Park and Shop in Wuse II, Aminu Kano Crescent, call your order in before you get there 0803 314 0469 or 0804 410 4567, if your order 5 pizzas, ask for free juice.

Splurge

Ciao, Jitau Plaza, Plot 1173, Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, After AP plaza, Wuse II. A good Italian restaurant with the usual Italian dishes. Expect to pay around 2000 Naira for a dinner with wine. Good Pizzas, but AJ's have more to them.

Chopsticks, Plot 66 Mississippi St, Maitama. Good Chinese food, a couple should share one order of a main dish and either rice or noodles. 2000-about 5000 Naira for main dishes. Has cocktail bar.
Sitar, 46 Usuma St, Maitama. Indian food.
Wakkis, Like Sitar but more reasonable prices, this might be considered moderate instead of Splurge. Amino Kano Crescent, follow signs, Wuse II. 1500-2500 main dishes, good seafood. Amazing King Prawns!
Blakes, Fish bar, add unknown, Garki District.
Ubudu Grill Steakhouse at the Sheraton You won't spend less than $50 USD here, but the steaks are excellent.
Chez Victor Reasonably high quality French food and some francophone African dishes such as yassa poulet. Sandwiches with lunchtime specials. Nice house converted into comfortable restaurant. Nigerian owned. 2000+ Naira for main dishes. Ganges Street off Alvan Ikoku Way, Maitama. Next to NEPAD Nigeria offices.
Al Basha Palace Good Mediterranean & Continental food and Pizzas, Shisha. Outdoor, indoor events & parties... 11 Cassandra Street, off Usuma St, Maitama.
LaZeez Place Recently Opened, Usuma Street, Maitama.
Golf Course Has a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, would be a good place to have large group gathering, not called Golf Course, but that is where it is.

Drink
Drinks are available all over Abuja and are very overpriced. Average $20 US for some mixed drinks. 5-9 dollars for a local beer. Buy beer from the Market and you will save a lot of money. The major hotels have bars and restaurants - watch out for the call girls, if you ignore them, they get really offended. If you are not interested, just say so and have a short conversation, then they will leave you alone.

Smoothies Parlor
Ceddi Plaza Has a bar on the basement level.
Blakes Has live music or a DJ and drinks as well as the fish bar
British Village Requires a membership to enter and is popular during different sporting events, especially during soccer games and rugby.
Amber Lounge is in Silverbird Galleria, Central Business District
Orchard Garden. Local outdoor place near Millenium Park, set in a grove. Beer around 250N, small BBQ serving e.g. whole grilled fish for 2000N.
saffron, 1,iyaraclose,off misau crescent,off ahmadu bello way,garki 2,abuja. lunch and dinner. saffron,the rooftop restaurant and bar serves INDIAN and CHINESE cuisine together,best place to have the fusion cuisine at one place,open ambience on rooftop makes the evening beautiful as you can see complete view of Abuja city....... 2000 naira to 5000 naira.
City view Resturant. Labnese food.But Awesome best in Abuja.
911 Black, Verdict Plaza, 35 Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent. 8PM - 5AM. A more local crowd and more reasonably priced drinks than some of its Abuja nightlife counterparts, most lively on Fridays (obviously), ladies' night on Wednesdays. Beer - 500 Naira, liquor/champagne 7000+ per bottle.
Emeka's Beer Garden, Wuye (Across from the Peace Haven Hotel, follow the road past the local Water Board. 5PM-3AM. Charming beer garden in a relatively undeveloped part of the city, near Finance Quarters and Family Worship (use these landmarks to guide your cab driver). Owned by the friendly Emeka, recently repatriated from Japan, where he lived for 20 years. Fluent English, Japanese spoken. Food and drink both available, soccer matches screened regularly. Cheap.

Accomodation

Hotels in Abuja do not score well on the price/ service/ quality ratio.

Many hotels offer large discounts for Friday and Saturday nights. Be sure to confirm if your agreed rate includes tax (typically 10%) service charges, breakfast, internet, parking fees, if there is any early departure fee (i.e if you check out a few days early) even if the bottle of water in your room is complementary etc. and have this written down at check-in.

Most hotels expect payment up front, with the more established ones having credit card machines who are happy to block out some money on your card to cover the bill. Typically it is better to pay in cash if you can, as the black market rate is about 10% better than the official rate (March 2015).

The beacon suites, Garki 2, 1,Iyara close off Misau Crescent, off Ahmadu Bello way, Garki 2.

The Nordic Villa A brand new 4 bedroom boutique hotel furnished in a modern Scandinavian style. The villa is located in a peaceful and safe environment suited for both business and leisure travelers. No. 52, Mike Akhigbe Way, Jabi, Abuja,

Rockview Classic A little dreary but decent. Has gym, tennis courts, pool. The pool bar menu has some better offerings than the bar or restaurant. The 'Classic Hotel is better, and cheaper, than the Rockview Royale/ Annex next door.

King's Inn Hotel, Lobito Crescent Wuse 2, Abuja, Abuja Capital Territory, Nigeria (opposite from UK visa application centre). checkin: sep 4; checkout: sep 5. 10000.

Hotel De Bently N. Okonjo Iweala Way, Utako Abuja. Best Architectural design in Abuja. Its a decent place to stay.

Reiz Continental Hotel Plot 779, Cadastral zone AO, Central Area. Similar to Rockview in terms of standard, but with better service. Has pool too and free minibar (non alcoholic)

Immaculate Plot 111 Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II opposite Cubana Bar, near Diamond Bank. Modern hotel with nice-size rooms and suites. Noisy on weekends because of night club next door, and rooms above kitchen are noisy all the time. Lacks social space like bar/terrace but this is good because there are less prostitutes than in larger hotels. Basic gym and small pool area. Restaurant ok. Reasonable prices and well-located.

Splurge

Decent hotels in Abuja tend to cost well above $200 US per night, despite mediocre.

Hawthorn Suites Abuja - the service is good and the Hotel is beautiful. Part of the Wyndham Group. Five Star. Food is very good. Located at 1 Balanga Street off Ahmadu Bello Way, Garki, Abuja. First left before Sahad. Good Alternative to Hilton and Cheaper - Rates from about N43,000
Transcorp-Hilton - Part of the Hilton Group, this hotel sits on a huge lot and its convention facilities make it something of a social hub in the town. Rooms are small, in serious need of renovation, and terribly overpriced. Located at 1 Aguiyi Ironsi, Maitama Abuja. Rates from About N50,000. Good for weekend lounging by the pool (N2000 entry for non-residents of the hotel) at least.
Sheraton - free wifi for guests over the whole hotel area, rooms are being renovated. The tennis, squash courts are excellent. There is now a new gym overlooking the pool. The old gym is a bit cramped but a big plus for the steam sauna. Hotel rooms are in process of renovation and everything in the hotel (eg. food, laundry) is unreasonably expensive. Although they have a nice breakfast buffet (costs extra). Service has worsened over time but the outdoor food and steakhouse are still good.
Dunes This is a well-known Lebanese-run supermarket with imported goods. Above are hotel rooms. Well run, convenient, restaurant on site.
Protea Hotels All over the city. Clean and nice.

Staying safe
Abuja tends to be a sharp contrast against the background of the rest of Nigeria. While car hijackings and armed robbery are high in Lagos, and kidnapping of foreign oil workers is prevalent in the Niger delta, Abuja in sharp contrast, is one of the safest metropolitan cites in Nigeria.

General security measures like elsewhere in the world should be observed. Like anywhere else in the world, it's always a good idea to have company when exploring unfamiliar places. If you're driving, observe simple measures like keeping your car door locked when parked to avoid opportunistic crime. Armed robbery at gun point is the most prevalent form of crime. A calm disposition and full cooperation with robbers is the best line of action in the unlikely event that you are the victim of a robbery.

Robbers tend to become violent when victims try to pull tricks. Contact your embassy in Abuja and the police if you are robbed. Occasional pick pockets target mobile phones and wallets as well. Do not carry large amounts of cash. Usually, $250 US cash (or N30,000) would more than suffice for impulsive purchases and other daily costs.

Use only the official Green Cabs. Drivers of regular cars frequently cruise around seeking paying passengers; accepting such a ride is dangerous and passengers have been robbed in this manner. Stick with licensed green cabs. Cab fares would be around N500 ($4) for trips within the city. Cab rides to the airport are significantly higher. Negotiate a fare before you enter a cab.

There have been many reports of fraudulent use of credit card details almost immediately after people have used their cards to pay hotel deposits, even in the very top hotels.

Embassies and High Commissions
Australia,Belgium,Canada,Egypt,Czech Republic,Finland,France,Hungary,Germany,Greece,India,Ireland,Israel,Italy,Malaysia,The Netherlands, Norway,Turkey,Romania,Russia,Serbia,Switzerland,Trinidad and Tobago,United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,Ukraine,United States of America,Venezuela,Zambia.