Anybody been to Nigeria

[deep thinker]

Hey all, Im reposting this here in hope to get a answer. Im goin to Nigeria next week and was wondering if anybody here has been there or heard of anyone thats been. Ill be staying on Victoria Island for about 3 days and the first day Ill have all to myself, as site visits only start on Monday. So I was thinking maybe I can go to the trouble of taking my speargun and wetsuit along and go and investigate some foreign waters, but Id like to know if its worth while to go to all the trouble of getting the kit through customs etc. Any info will be greatly apreciated even if its just to tell me not to bother. Cause i know its not one of the most sanitary places around and also have heard of someone who got sick after swimming in the sea there. So yea any info anyone?

[Marwan]

never been there, but might be going soon, a lot of my coworkers say customs are not the best experience there, so my first thought would be it might not be worth it.
Then again i recall seeing a movie called ""sahara" partly filmed in Nigeria, a scene had mathew mcconhey (or however you spell it) coming out of the sea with a speared fish..

[deep thinker]

Well thats a positive thing then , maybe leave the wetsuit at home, seein that its warm water, I think, much warmer than what Im used to so I should be fine in a boardshort and just a second skin to protect against jellies. I could also leave the speargun at home seein that customs mite be a bitch and just use a sharpened broom stick or steel rod , well maybe Ill just opt for a swim then

[island_sands]

Are you taking personal protection?
Serious question here.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles.../10084631.html

[deep thinker]

No but I have a driver picking me up at the airport and taking me everywhere I need to go. Hopefully I wont need the protection bit that much as Im mostly gonna be on site visits in Lagos itself, were designing a Nu Metro media store there. But just incase of a emergency the sharpened broomstick or reinvorcement steel dropper mentioned earlier mite come in handy, come to think of it maybe I should take my speargun along after all . Hopefully it wont be that bad where Im gonna be, the company subcontracting us there does quite a bit of work in Nigeria, so maybe theyll feel more freindly toward me . Well see how it is when I get there, this being my first real trip outside SA...

[island_sands]

Be careful. Lagos is no place for anybody half decent, trust me. I hope your driver is well versed/armed. We did lots of personal protection for travellers to Nigeria as it was needed.

Take care, please.

[deep thinker]

Will do thanx, Ill post from a internet cafe there to tell how it is and if the water looks freindly enough for a swim atleast now I can kinda prepare for something as up untill now Ive had no idea as to what to expect, the boss goes quite often so I guess hes used to it by now and forgot what his first few times were like. Besides if I dont feel comfortable in my surroundings I change em very quickly

[Marwan]

DT
seriously man, i work in for a company that has an affiliate office in Lagos and the rule in Lagos is DO NOT LEAVE THE HOTEL! so dont think about internet cafe's and such...

[deep thinker]

So what your trying to tell me is Im gonna be stuck in my room for the whole week, NOOOOOO!!!!!! Hopefully they have a well stocked bar, then atleast I can build up a expense account on someone elses bill...

[Marwan]

not in your room but in the hotel, another piece of advice tey give you is not to use your credit card, theres a very high chance that it gets stolen, you know swiped/sanned whatever... not in restaurants not in 5 star hotels... also im sure they told you this by now, you need to take some medicine for malaria (malorone) at least 2 days before you and during your stay and i believe for a few days after you return..
have a safe trip

[deep thinker]

Yea Im busy on the malaria coarse allready and went for a few shots the other day, yellow fever ect. Had 5 shots alltogether, one on each arm one on each butt cheek and one on the stomach. I felt like I got hit by a train the next day, rather that than what I can bring home from there though .
Im staying in a guest lodge our client there owns so not exactly a hotel and luckily I get extra cash to spend. No ways Im using my own bucks for their comfort, I need that to buy more gear .
I would have liked to be able to get into the water though but listening to all this it sounds like a no go

[cigarlung]

Deep Thinker Read Your Post Several People I New Who Worked For The Oil Industry Did Not Say Kind Things About Nigeria .they Were All Picked Up By Large Security Forces From Airport For Their Own Protection By The Oil Companies They Worked For. Lagos Airport Was Not Sure If Still Is Was Listed As Unsafe Here In The States Good Luck. Funny Short Personal Story I Have Been Warned When I Was In The Phillipines By Philpinos Do Not Travel To Certain Towns Due Npa Abdu Safif Never Had A Problem Was Always Treated
Well Often Stuck Out Like A Sore Thumb.

[deep thinker]

People I know who does regular 4x4 trips into Angola Mozambique and so on take a large supply of cartons of cigarettes and porno mags to bribe their way through 'roadblocks'. I also get the feeling Ill be sticking out like a sore thumb cigarlung, me bein a dutchman and all . But hey its gonna be a experience so Im actually kinda lookin forward to going, Ill just keep my eyes and ears open so that I can notice in time when I should start running or take out the bribing material

[island_sands]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6216668.stm

just you watch yourself closely.

[spaghetti]

The kidnapped 3 are italian pipeline technicians, so now they're 4 in a month homeguys targeted: WTF?