How safe or unsafe is Nigeria?

[BizJetJockey]

Hi everyone,

I am looking into a rotational position in Nigeria and would like some advice.

Does anyone have any idea about operating based out of Lagos and general flying in West Africa with regard to safety and security?

I have experience in countries such as Mali and Mauritania but only for a couple of days at a time and never really left the hotel.

I have heard bad things about Nigeria but would like to get a full all round picture from guys who are based there at the moment.

- What is the general level of safety when being driven from the airport to the hotel? I have heard that the drive at night time is particularly dangerous. A tad difficult when called to fly in the middle of the night or arriving back late. Is security advised when being transported?

- Are there decent hotels and compounds for guys working in Lagos? Are you advised to stay in the hotel or compound and are they secure?

- What stories are true and what aren't regarding muggings, murders etc?

Of course many cities are dangerous if you aren't very clever and go out late at night and generally lack awareness of the local area. I am keen to know that with safety in mind and security, are the odds still in favour of a car jacking with a gun pointed at you or the likelihood of being kidnapped? Especially with the threat of Islamist militants in the country.

Any info would be greatly appreciated and would help a lot!

Thanks!!

[bedsted]

I worked out of there some 30 years ago. For me it was the worst place on earth and I’ve experienced quite a few. All the tea in China would not entice me back.
It may have changed by now but I doubt it.

[Globally Challenged]

With the regularly changing FCO advice - I would contact your insurance providers to make sure they will pay out in the event of any issues you have over there (eg you don't want your wife & kids thrown out of the family home if the worse happens to you because your life insurance won't pay out when you travelled against FCO advice)

[exeng]

We stay in hotels or a compound built for the Pilots.

I have never encountered any real trouble (i.e violence). However I generally never go out alone after dark. Certain areas are best avoided altogether, day or night.

Travelling to and from the airport even at night has up to now appeared safe although for a time we did have armed guards in the vehicle. Frankly I was more concerned about an accident involving the armed guards.

I find the people generally pleasant although my general feeling is that those in the south of the country have a more aggressive attitude than those in the north.

I'm afraid to say that the telling of 'porky pies' is somewhat of a built in culture in Nigeria. Generally those lies are not particularly malicious but make doing anything interactive with the folk very tiresome.

Lock any valuables with you personally and do not use a hotel safe. Mysteriously things seem to vanish, particularly cash if you are careless. (over $1000 in my case 6 weeks ago).

A good rotation is vital to allow you time to recover from a somewhat unusual flying and living environment.

Although Nigeria does take some extensive personal adjustment it can be a rewarding place to fly but you need to be on top of your game as it is a very challenging flying environment for many reasons.

I now have a number of good Nigerian friends which must tell you something.

Also I am not looking at all for work elsewhere as no place seems to be able to match the time off/rotation that we enjoy.

Check very carefully the contract regarding payment times and amounts before you sign on the dotted line. In any event make sure you have enough saved at home to survive for three months without income. Paying late for anything seems to be a national sport that everybody competes in (regardless of what it states in the contract) - if it was a part of the Olympics Nigeria would get a gold for certain.

Finally may I recommend the locally brewed Gulder beer as opposed to bottles of Star.


Regards
Exeng

[Klimax]

Exeng,

Very good and expressive reply. Thx for taking the time for fellowe pilot.

Klimax

[Empty Cruise]

We work about 8-10 weeks in Nigeria per year and have been there on a rotational contract as well, based in ABV.

While the country certainly has it's drawbacks, it is by no means the DRC... Abuja is generally a pleasant experience, hotels of acceptable standard, and will agree with exeng - unless you attend local church services or hang out at the UN HQ, the biggest danger is the standard of driving, especially in LOS.

Having the right kind of driver is very important - he is the make or break of the daily life, and if he doesn't show up more or less on time when ordered, not only working but shopping and living in general becomes tiresome.

Armed guards should not be a necessity except in certain outstations, but depending on what clients you are looking at flying it may all be incorporated in the contract anyway, whether you need it or not.

Accommodation is generally in secured compounds with armed guards, keeping break-ins etc almost unheard of. Of course you need to watch where you are going, but most places in ABV you can drive safely at night, and some in LOS too. The crime that does occur - should the worst happen - is either simple or armed robbery, but people are not murderous, so if you throw your wallet in one direction and run in the other I doubt they would even give you a second glance.

The other problem is being '419ed', linked to what exeng said about people having a rather wishful relationship to the concept of truth. Never believe what people say to you if you really depend on it - asking in 5-6 different ways sometimes produces something approximating veracity, especially when things are aviation-related.

Flying intra-Nigeria is easy (when you get used to the radio - give that a week or so), but you have to have loads of patience. The good thing is that your pax will be used to how things work, so an explanation that in EUR region would have resulted in irate disbelief is just greeted with a smile.

Another good thing is that 90% of your pax are scared s...less of flying, so if you say "can't do - wx not good", they will thank you and take whatever alternative you offer them.

Things go slowly, so if you can adjust yourself to the pace and don't get stressed by it, flying in Nigeria is a rewarding experience. Be prepared to occasionally shout when you are being treated like a schmuck and equally prepared to "facilitate" things with 500 or 1000 NGN now and again.

Health insurance can be obtained, although you will pay upwards of 2000 GBP/yr for the pleasure.

Any further q's just PM me - cheers ;-)

[Empty Cruise]

Another 'gotcha' - bring USD, but only notes from 2004 and onwards. Most places will not take older ones for fear of counterfeit notes...

[BizJetJockey]

Guys thank you for taking the time to give a broad view of your experiences working there, it is very much appreciated.

On another note, what are the weather patterns? Do you encounter thunderstorms on a regular basis and if so, how prepared is ATC?

Keep your experiences coming both good and bad?

Many thanks!!

[Empty Cruise]

Thunderstorms are frequent in the big rainy season, but given enough fuel not much of a problem. They tend to move pretty fast (20-40 kt), so that type will clear an airport inside 30 min. Sometimes the bastards won't move much, and then you either divert or evaluate if its position relative to approach path, airport and missed approach path is such that an approach may still be attempted.

However - if in any doubt, you're not in doubt ;-) Expect flooded runways if landing right after a shower (so will need your contaminated data pretty often).

ATC of absolutely no assistance in CB avoidance - you just tell them what you are going to do and coordinate with other aircraft. That being said, LOS approach are pretty good nowadays and will manage traffic - up to a point.

Late in the big dry season, your biggest problem as far S as ABV will be dust - and as T/O minima in Nigeria cannot be lower than approach minima, you could easily be caught for 3-4 days in places with just a VOR, eg Kano.

[exeng]

On another note, what are the weather patterns? Do you encounter thunderstorms on a regular basis and if so, how prepared is ATC?


Empty Cruise has it right. Just to add that ATC are generally awful even when the weather is good, throw in some bad weather and the system can completely break down leaving everybody on his/her own. TCAS is an absolute must (in three years I personally have had 3 genuine RA's entirely caused by ATC) For traffic avoidance you have to be carefully listening to every other aircrafts transmissions in order to forsee possible problems.

By the way when I say ATC has completely broken down I really mean it. Several times in my experience Lagos control on 127.3 has completely given up and won't transmit to anybody - so we are all left wandering around for 5 mins. I must say that there are some good controllers of course. You very quickly get to know the sound of their voices and have an inkling if this is yet again going to be one of those days.

Use of non standard RT phraseolgy is rife amongst controllers and Pilots. Pilots regularly lie about their position and speed in order to gain an advantage somewhere. Typical non standard clearances like 'Biz Jet 001 line up after the landing 737' are normal.

Trying to get any met info whilst airborne is next to impossible (there is no volmet service anywhere) and asking a station for another stations weather produces a few giggles at best

Read up on the 'Harmatton' plus the movement of the 'ITCZ'. Agree again with Empty Cruise but to add that last year the dust (due to Harmatton winds) went quite a bit further south than Abuja. This dust can be very limiting in regard to selection of destination alternates given that many of the alternates available may have non-precision aids at best (Nigerian regs also require the one step up rule for minima: i.e if lowest minima available at the alternate is non precision then non precision RVR plus a 1000m and ceiling plus 200ft is required) This can make planning extremely difficult if you are in any way fuel limited after a long sector.

Navigation aids are very poorly maintained and a lot of airfields will not notam anything at all. So you are planning on a VOR/DME approach and find the DME not working (and hasn't been for months probably). If you do land you will find potholes all over the place etc.

After heavy rain be very wary indeed of braking effectiveness on any runway in Nigeria. Do not ever be tempted to accept a touchdown that is 'long' under these circumstances (although you never should anyway).

All airfields provide a marshalling service - do not rely on these people for anything else other than keeping you within the airfield boundaries.

Kano incidentally now has an ILS on rwy 06.

Enjoy the Gulder - best served very cold.


Regards
Exeng

[Silly Pilot]

I have heard from some friends that have experience there. Another low budget outfit that is immune to foreign pilots that want to be paid. Do not waist you time and money.
Accommodations are shared with others, not very modern.

[StressFree]

In my experience Nigeria is generally dreadful. However Abuja is tolerable for short periods. The Hilton and Sheraton are OK.

Lagos is the definition of chaos, utter chaos......particularly if operating a bizjet around the GA ramp.

Be very careful if you have to spend time in the Delta area, especially Port Harcourt, last year the FCO advised against ALL travel there and warned UK citizens to leave. Travelling by road after dark is a gift to kidnappers, we always had a truckload of armed guards with us, but that was a worry as well as not all of them can be trusted. Best to stay well clear of this area.

To be honest theres no money on Earth that would get me working in Nigeria. Next door in Ghana is a totally different matter, civilised decent country.

[this is my username]

How do the guys working out in Nigeria deal with Malaria? If you are on a decent rotation woth good accomodation do you take the anti-malarials and deal with the side effects, take precautions (mossie repellent etc) and hope for the best or accept malaria as an occupational hazard and deal with it when it occurs?

[Stick35]

I always had a mosquito spray with me, which was a small canister which has a contents for a 747. I simply deleted it completely, spray under the bed, all corners and let the airco running. Never had a mosquito net with me, but then again, i always had short stays over there. We always requested min rest overthere, even in abudja. If you stay in nigeria, don't hang around, not even talk with the ladies cause they can give you a lot of problems. I agree with stressfree, if you can go to accra, ghana, much better overhere. But to be based in Nigeria, they really need to come up with a lot of money to do that.

[BizJetJockey]

It doesn't sound like a honeymoon, that's for sure!! But then I knew that!! :}

Can anyone offer any positive experiences to the mix? Anyone!!!??? :{

[MrMutra]

I was offered a cpt position out there on a bravo, turned it down not enough money but the problems of living there even for a 2 week rotation was a headache. Last may 2011 a British and Italian where kidnapped and later killed this year in March 2012. They even offered me security but not worth it, so i declined the job, dont know who got it but good luck to them.

Maybe bizjetjock look at latest info here Nigeria travel advice (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/nigeria/)

Good luck

[jackx123]

To give you an idea what Africa is all about:

It's So Easy A Monkey Could Do It! - YouTube

[BizJetJockey]

Next they'll be letting chimps fly the planes too!!;):D

[flydive1]

Next they'll be letting chimps fly the planes too!!;):D

Didn't they just offered you a job?

Just joking, of course.;)

I got a couple of offers too, but way too little money to even think about it.

As Empty Cruise said, bring new USD bills, and also a load of small bills to avoid the "sorry, no change"

[bzwebner]

The poster above mentioned bringing bills that are newer than 2004.

I was there two weeks ago and they wanted bills newer than 2006 :ugh:

[500 above]

NIGERIA GOOGLE (http://www.nigeriagoogle.com/)

I'd stick with DXB BJJ.

[BizJetJockey]

I did what it said. What great value!! :}:D

[No RYR for me]

All airfields provide a marshalling service - do not rely on these people for anything else other than keeping you within the airfield boundaries. Classic :ok:

[BizJetJockey]

Any other guys who are operating in Nigeria have any comments...? If it is as bad as people say, what keeps you there? Maybe there are some good points!!??

[bedsted]

Watch out for the night fighters ;)

[prg737]

Nigeria is unsafe in general, but you can get by. Some places in Abudja, Kano or Lagos seem to be viable, but never believe that!
Never forget, 95% of the population has nothing, while they believe you do. In many people's eyes their own life has no value, not talking about your.
No need to move around with guards, but a trustfull driver is a must. Don't expect low cost accomodation when looking for safety. Rely on referrences in any case.
Good luck, and bail out as possible!:cool:

[spacecadet]

My biggest piece of advice is to get paid in advance and ensure you don't have to pay out yourself personally as it can be a long wait to get re-imbursed.

Get a decent rotation, especially if on the GLEX.

There are plenty of corporate aircraft out there and plenty of crews. I think most people last about 2 years, some shorter and some haven't/wont leave. Also, there are plenty of ex-pats out there and you'll pick up their 'local' advice.

The basic infrastructure isn't there. Don't expect anything and you wont be disappointed.

Most of the aircraft aren't on the Nigerian register and the owners like to send their aircraft to the big MRO's so most aircraft are well looked after.

If the terrorists continue or even attack ex-pats then a lot of ex-pats will leave. The aircraft owners will have to significantly increase their pay to retain some of their crews.

PM if you have any specific questions.

[tommoutrie]

its a hot, sticky place that wrecks aeroplanes and drains your spirit of the will to live. I don't stick my hands up into the nooks and crannys that I used to on a walk round because I met quite a big lizard one day in the nose gear bay. Take a serious torch - invest in a lenser. Carry test kits for malaria - have a flu jab before you go so that if you start feeling rubbish you can rule flu out.. Take malarone if you can (it gives me terrible headaches). Malarone can be used as a treatment as well as a preventative measure (will scan the leaflet and send it to you if you want). In the south the main threats seem to be robbing and mugging but I don't know anyone that its happened to personally. It hasnt happened to any of our crew. In the north there is a perceived threat from Boko Harem but its very hard to work out how serious this threat is. Try to find out who you are flying - flying charter out there means you don't know if your passenger has enemies and that can be bad news. You do need to be careful going out and about but its not impossible (money belt and a second wallet with not much in it is a good plan in case you have to hand one over). Again, this hasn't happened to me or anyone I know down there.
Be careful in bars where there are nightfighters (pretty much all of them) as they sometimes pay the staff to spike drinks and then you're in trouble. There is no way to avoid unwanted contact from them. Wear a cricket box... Its quite nice to get to know other crews working down there because you can go a bit stir crazy working with the same people all the time - PM if you want any more specific info

[BizJetJockey]

Cheers Tom, your detailed reply is very much appreciated!!!

[B Drive]

Been in Nigeria since 2008 rotational

Get paid in advance try at least 60 days if you are a new kid on the block

Go back and study your pre 1964 ICAO Rules of the air

Leave ALL your credit cards at home

Stay away from the night riders
You may pick up "slow puncture" and the simptoms normally only show after 10 years

And leave your organic eating habits at home too

Port Harcourt is a kidnapping haven.You will survive the fortnight of being slapped around and sleeping with the dogs if yor company pays the ransom.

If you make it to Lagos........roadside boyz are lurking

Abuja... come and go as you like..another planet

but the pay is good and do not be shy to ask for north of 12k us

good luck mate

[First.officer]

Excuse my ignorance, but what are these "nightfighters" ?? presuming they are ladies of the night (or, heaven forbid, men....eeek) ??

F/o

[tommoutrie]

They are horrible. Like flies on sh*t they buzz around you as soon as you enter any bar. They grab your nuts to get your attention. They follow you into the toilets and offer anything you want when all you want is a wee. They face tackle you legs akimbo if you try to leave. If you are stupid enough to do anything you will lose your wallet and gain a virus. They are disease laden sex pests - a bit like the blonde pilot from EBJ but female and black. As the man that teaches the windshear course at Flight Safety Wichita one said - don't go there..

[unimuts]

Friend returned home, no pay and company refusing to pay flight ticket home which was part of contract 4 weeks on 2 weeks off, 10th Sept flights cancelled with Air Nigeria so had buy expensive ticket with other airline. Make sure your paid well and upfront,12K is min for capt and take advice from all other posts on this forum, best find other work elsewhere if you can.

[merlinxx]

why are so many Nigerian pilots working outside Nigeria :ugh::mad:

[First.officer]

Ah, cheers for that Tom......didn't realise it was that bad down there - jeeez, sounds like a complete nightmare ! by the way, can't think of who you meant with the blonde EBJ'er comment lol......"carried" away ?! hehe

F/o

[biocybertronics]

Not a pilot but have provided security for oil company interests several times and I have to say give me the middle east any time, even some of the more hostile areas.
Basically whenever we were out of the hotel, armed guards at all times, and unless they were provided by ourselves or another company I trust, I can't say I ever felt safe with them.
I treated it at times like a conflict zone as after night that’s pretty much what it is, kidnapping as mentioned is rife though they are after money so if paid up you will get released.
It was mentioned on older dollars than 2004, I would go so far to say as try and get newer than that.
If at the time the contracts were not business critical there is not a chance in hell you would get me there.

The hotel complex was about the safest place, and the about of thieves is massive, one of my employees had most of their clothes stolen, which to be honest I found a bit disheartening as my wardrobe was not even good enough to steal.
It’s an experience to say the least but unless the money was to good to turn down, I rather have my safety.

[Trim Stab]

There are two countries in Africa that I won't work for any amount of money. Congo-Kinshasha and Nigeria. Nigeria is an order of magnitude worse than CK.

Normally when I work in a difficult country, I can find some redeeming feature. I know of NONE for Nigeria.

[highjinx77]

What about as a female pilot operating out there?

[tommoutrie]

yes good point - that would make it really dangerous for the rest of us..

[highjinx77]

Oh dear, walked into that one didn't I!

[tommoutrie]

It's tough to give a proper answer cos I'm a chap but what I can tell you is that I work with female crew in Nigeria and I'm not aware of them feeling materially less safe than me (which isn't saying much). Certainly I don't think there is a higher risk of personal threat to women than men - Nigeria is an equal opportunities mugger and is happy to make everyone uneasy regardless of gender. Being gay is a very bad idea in Nigeria (certainly gay men are not tolerated and are likely to be attacked or arrested if spotted). If you are being asked to go, please feel free to send me a pm and I will out you in touch with our female pilots and flight attendants and they can give you a proper assessment.

With the right mindset, a total lack of dignity, self respect, and sense of self preservation, Nigeria can be a good place to work. My top tip is first time you go, go with someone who has been before...

[galaxy flyer]

TrimStab

Is C-K that much better or anywhere in Nigeria that bad?

GF

[Scrappy]

Long time lurker, first time poster here.

I've currently been working in Nigeria for just over a year now, based in ABV.

Reading everyones comments I'd tend to agree with them, but maybe not to the extent that everyone goes. I have felt safe and night stopped at just about every airport in Nigeria excluding Madiguri for obvious reasons. Most of the clients we fly out here are the Governors or high up execs with the oil companies, and there for have plenty of security while traveling with them.

I 100% agree with everyone that says a dependable driver is a must. You will find there are few drivers that hold their life more important than getting somewhere quick, and driving is pure chaos. Don't hesitate to tell your drivers to slow down.

Nav aids half the time are unserviceable or erroneous, so make sure you triple check everything. Runway surfaces can be pretty bad and you will not only feel it but you goes through tires much faster than elsewhere. Radios take a bit to get used too, and its not uncommon for Nigerian pilots to get into arguments on the radio with controllers and tie up the air, you find this a lot especially in Lagos and Abv. Professionalism on the radios here is no where to be found when it comes to the locals, tons of chit chatting going on.

Storms come and go, for the most part isolated, and push through pretty fast, but don't hesitate to divert if need be. As someone else stated the passengers would rather get somewhere safely that to tempt fate, and they are happy to divert. Again, most of the pax here are scared of flying, so even turbulence can scare them. Hamatan last year most say was pretty bad, so make sure you get the tower numbers and call yourself for weather, don't trust the locals to give it to you because they will give you "419" info, whatever to get you on your way.

If you don't have much of a problem with that, and you enjoy nothing but chaos and a challenge, you can make it here, but if you are used to everything going smoothly I can assure you Nigeria is the exact opposite of that.

One last positive note is the pay is generally good, and I'd say 50% of pax will tip anywhere from $300 USD up to $3,000 USD.

Its all what you make of it.... don't try to change it, because its pointless, just try to fit in.

If you have any more questions I could help you out with, feel free to PM me.

Scrappy

[FuelLeak]

I worked in Lagos 2 months, 1 week and 6 hours. Unable to explain how horrible and unsafe that place is. But when I die if I am asked where I prefer to go between Hell and Lagos, please send me to HELLLLLL!

[stuckgear]

scrappy just a couple of points on your post..

and driving is pure chaos.

so it's improved then.. great to hear..

Nav aids half the time are unserviceable or erroneous,

half the time.. again another improvement !!

:E

[gaunty]

In the long ago, an ultimately entirely discredited and banned for life Ppruner actually got one thing right in his Avatar thingy about the place. He may not have been the actual original author but it was the first I heard it.

"Happiness is V1 at Lagos"

[Tableview]

My last stay in Lagos was 6 days, 14 hours, 8 minutes and 7.4 seconds, calculated from touchdown to lift off, and the latter must have been one of the happiest, almost orgasmically so, moments of my life!

I went to Nigeria a couple of times with my father when I was a 'laaitjie' but it didn't seem so bad in those days, or perhaps I was less cynical, and I remember a few days in Kano, which was lovely.