I came across this report by an internet blogger.
Please read for those planning of travelling to Nigeria soon.

http://nigeriaworld.com/articles/2011/sep/073.html

Actual article:

MY RECENT TRIP TO NIGERIA:
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
ell, after seven years of continuously living in Canada (and three years prior in Europe before moving to Canada), I decided to visit Nigeria (Akure, Ondo State) this past August for three weeks (August 2-21). As you can imagine, I was travelling with a mix of joy, anticipation and anxiety. Since I haven’t seen my parents and other loved ones for at least seven years, nothing could replace having a one-on-one conversation with my family members, friends and associates from my original roots. But as excited as I was, I also knew that I was taking a risk, a huge risk. I understood from available online newspapers that there are still armed robbers, electricity still doesn’t work regularly, roads are still bad, and what have you. And of course kidnapping for ransom has recently entered into our lexicon as well. But regardless of the risks involved in the trip, I decided to go anyway, and so I went. There are so many things to write about, but hereunder is my key experience and observation as per the 3-week trip:


THE GOOD
The Bank:
ATMs are now alive and well in Nigeria. I read about this before I left Canada, so I decided to only travel with just $500. I put my faith in the system by carrying my Visa and Debit cards, and I wasn’t disappointed. They both worked perfect (though it appeared that I could only collect N20,000 per transaction). ATMs are virtually everywhere now in Nigeria, and every bank on the street basically has an ATM. This is very impressive. Also, another plus for the bank is how they have overhauled the Western Union. I wanted to collect a Western Union which my wife sent to me from Canada (my younger brother told me not to totally trust the ATM because of fraud), I ran into heavy protocol before I could collect the money. It is now tough just coming into the bank and collecting Western Union in Nigeria without absolute identification. I was told I needed to have an account number with the bank, know someone who has an account number or having someone known to the bank identify me. It was frustrating for me but I didn’t mind. I like it. I had to call my younger brother from work, who coincidentally has an account with the bank. So we both filled the required paperwork and I received the Western Union. So I give kudos to the bank on this reform. I think this will reduce the number of Western Union thieves out there to some significant degree.
Lagos State:
Though I didn’t see much development or new projects around me while in Lagos compared to what I had read in the online newspapers (I was only in Ikeja area for two days), I think what I noticed about Lagos is that the ‘system’ now appears to be working better. I saw traffic moving well compared to how I had ever seen it, and that was a little surprising when I thought of the Lagos where I did my NYSC and lived for two years. So I think the governor of Lagos deserves some kind of commendation. I didn’t have the time to travel around Lagos, so I can’t generalize what I saw in Ikeja as a representative of the whole state. Again, in Ikeja, my friends told me there are many things that the State Government has done, which I couldn’t see per se, but obviously coming from Canada after seven years and visiting any developing will look like nothing is really happening. But if Lagosians are saying the government has tried for the state, well I will have to agree, whether or not I could see something tangible.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised that there is now household garbage pick-up in Akure! It’s unbelievable really. I am sure this could have been going on for years in other states or even in Ondo State, but it was my first time of knowing this. I couldn’t believe it. Though it’s optional, but I think this is a right step in the right direction. And as a matter of fact, I think the government should make it compulsory. I didn’t have the opportunity though, but I would be curious to know what happens to the garbage after they take it away. Are they properly disposed while minimizing pollution? This will be a good finding for sure.

THE BAD
Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos:
I flew Air France, so we departed Toronto for Lagos via Paris. In Toronto, things look Canadian. In Paris, things look French. And of course in Lagos, things look Nigerian. I didn’t remember the stark disparity between Canada and Nigeria until I got to Lagos. First of all, when we alighted from the aircraft, you could just see the difference. I have lived both in Europe and North America, and I am been honest in saying that the MMIA is the worst airport I’ve ever seen (I am sure it could be one of the best in Africa, but I’ve never been to any. Perhaps Abuja airport is better? Never been there either). Anyway, the Lagos airport is not only poorly lit, but it is totally devoid of any wow factor. The only wow factor it had for me was something like, “wow, where is our oil money?” Being the busiest airport in Nigeria (and Africa for that matter), the government should be able to at least use our oil money to wow travellers to and from the airport. I will definitely support this. When we say Nigeria is the giant of Africa, and you see that airport, you’ll feel sorry for us. I guess empty barrels make the loudest noise, don’t they? So I have an advice for the federal government: please revamp this airport. Visit major airports around the world if you haven’t, and come back and redevelop the Lagos airport, and make it a pride of Africa. Please recognize the word “international” in the airport’s name, and do what is right. Also, the airport appeared to have one single luggage conveyor belt working while I was there. And when you leave the airport and go to the reception area, the people that you’ll first see who are there to “assist” you with your luggage or “offer” you their cell phones mostly look like criminals. And if you don’t have anybody there to receive you, you might be afraid when you see these people – in fact some of them can actually scare you. But luckily my friends were waiting for me. I’ll say that anyone who doesn’t have any legitimate business at the airport shouldn’t be allowed access to the place. Well, I guess it depends on who is defining “legitimate business”.
Bank Security:
I was at seven different banks in Lagos and Akure for various transactions. In all of them, only one person can go in at a time. You have to first enter this tube-like enclosure, which closes all around you, then opens into the bank. There are usually two to three of these enclosures at every bank entrance. It looks like people can’t just walk into banks now anymore like it used to be. Well, I understand they are doing this for security reasons, but I found it so abnormal. If it works for the banks, I say kudos, but I don’t find it that appealing. Anyway, the worst of this system is that the bank security personnel will ask for your cell phone, keys, etc, before they allow you into this tube. And I saw many Nigerians removing their belts just to enter the tube (but not me). While I understand that this is an everyday usual occurrence in Nigeria banks, I find it humiliating and somehow degrading. In Nigeria, it looks like we can’t even define what is normal anymore.
Roads:
The Nigerian roads are mostly death traps now. It appears roads within Lagos are better than what I used to remember, but travelling from Lagos to Akure was the worst travel I had done in at least seven years. We went through Ibadan while going to Akure, and came through Ore while returning back to Lagos. Both of these roads have the worst potholes per capita compared to any roads I have travelled in recent memory. In fact, there are some sections of these roads that are completely destroyed. But somehow, drivers know how to get around (It’s amazing). So I didn’t see any improvements at all as per roads. And when we were in Akure, the roads are equally bad. Major roads are bad but they are fair compared to inner street roads. In fact, popular streets in areas such as Ijoka, Oshinle, Oluwatuyi, Sijuwade, FUTA, and even in what used to be “cute” Ijapo estate in Akure are now almost impassable. The only major good observation is that Arakale Road will become four lanes instead of two. Houses have been demolished, and I understand compensation has been fully paid to the affected home owners. But completing the road looks like months away. I guess time will tell.
Cost of Living:
Believe it or not, it is now increasingly costly to live in Nigeria. Common items that I used to buy when I was living in Nigeria such as bottled water, Gala, LaCasera, Fan Yoghurt, etc, are now about five to eight times more expensive than they used to be. Even with my dollars, I felt the price difference. Well, dollars don’t carry much value in Nigeria nowadays. For example, I was at Mr. Biggs, Tantalizers and Chicken Republic in Akure a number of times. My meal for each visit was at least N1,200 and up to N1,800 (just for something like rice, chicken, salad and coke). I don’t think someone earning a minimum wage in Nigeria will be able to ever visit these places, unfortunately. And I had to take family members and friends to these places with me at times. So as you can imagine, within three weeks, my pocket felt the heat. Well, let’s just say I was glad my visit was over!
Electricity:
We all know the storyline – NEPA is inefficient (or whatever name they go by now). And there are some corrupt individuals out there who don’t want our electricity to work, Well, my focus is not on the corruption but the aftermath. It looks like everybody now has a generator in Nigeria. So as soon as NEPA interrupts electricity, all of a sudden you’ll hear everybody putting on their generating sets. So you can imagine the noise level when you combine all the noises. In my dad’s place in Ijoka area of Akure, you would think there is a factory of some sort around the area. The noise was usually so loud to the extent that when generators were on, I spoke very little because I couldn’t even hear myself. I remember in those days, generators were for the privilege few, but now not anymore. I guess this is a good thing. However, I think the heavy noise and the pollution that come from these generators could soon have an impact on our health in the very near future. I wish someone did a study or thesis on this.
Private Universities:
A booming business in Nigeria now is to establish a private university! If you haven’t been to Nigeria for a while, you have to see it to believe. Travelling from Lagos to Akure, I saw billboards upon billboards of various private universities upon universities. Anyone reading this got some money? Well, look into Nigeria. Every religious organization, businessman, politician of the past and the so-called entrepreneur now thinks the best way to invest is to establish a university. Even people that don’t know what a university is now have a university attached to their names. Every religious organization in Nigeria doesn’t want to just own a place of worship and have a campground anymore, the competition has now shifted a notch to also establishing a university. How many Nigerian universities are ranked among the top in the world? So who is deceiving who? While I think it’s good to have more universities established to cater for our many young ones who are looking for admission after secondary school, I think the way these universities are established needs to be regulated. In addition, I think responsible authorities should work together and strengthen existing universities rather than supporting indiscriminate establishment of new ones. Where this is going only time will tell.
Joblessness and Job Insecurity:
Many people, and many young folks in particular, are still looking for jobs in Nigeria. Joblessness is very high. Though our universities (which by the way are charging one of the most ridiculous tuitions I have ever heard) release a large number of graduates into the labour market every year, it appears that the universities themselves, including government, private and other sectors, are unable to come up with a holistic approach to ensure that these graduates fine something to do. No wonder why a large number of thieves and kidnappers now in Nigeria, as I understand, possess at least a first degree or other form of advance education. I consider this unfortunate. Similarly, even people with jobs, particularly those who work at banks, work with fear of the unknown everyday. Fulltime jobs plus benefits – even with banks and oil companies – are now becoming a thing of the past. They all now hire people on contract. So people who were even hired fulltime before are now afraid of losing their jobs. Bank workers in Nigeria work the longest hours I have ever heard. My friend who is a banker leaves Ikeja by 6:00am everyday for Victoria Island. He comes home shortly after 10:00pm. He works extra long hours (minus the traffic) with no compensation. The compensation is the fact that he has a job, and he complains about work, of course he could be shown the door. Suffering and smiling.
THE UGLY
Nigerian Security Forces:
If you have travelled through the MMIA, you will understand what it means to describe someone as having extreme tendency of corruption. When we entered the MMIA, I saw at a distance some well-dressed men and women of the Nigerian Customs, Immigration (NIS), NDLEA, Police and others. But when you get close to these folks, you then realize that these people are nothing but beggars in uniform. They all started begging for money. Wetin you bring, oga mi? Oga, how now? Oga, remember your pickin for here o. It was really pathetic. And as a matter of fact, this is a national shame and disgrace for Nigeria. I now understand that there are some powerful ogas that we don’t see, who put these people there to collect money on their behalf, which means that this is not going to ever stop unless the government is serious about it. And to add salt to injury, all this begging happens anytime of the day, while foreigners visiting Nigeria watch, and in some cases are also asked for bribes or “gifts”.
In addition, make no mistake about this: the Nigeria Police Force still remains one of the most corrupt in the world. Though I had no running with the Police, but you still see them everywhere, mounting road blocks and collecting bribes. It’s business as usual. I visited the NIS in Akure, and I discovered that they are one of the most corrupt security arms of the Nigerian government. When I entered their gate, they swamped me. They appeared to be mostly a mixture of touts and beggars – with some good people sprinkled in between (though hard to tell which is which). Their modus operandi? Appear nice and chatty, and devise a way to inflate services. If you need to use the bathroom, and you are at the NIS Akure office, you are doomed! It is better for you to go into the bush than use their washroom. When I told an officer I needed a bathroom, he encouraged me to use the bush instead. But when I insisted, he obliged, and told me I was on my own. When I entered the bathroom, I felt sorry for myself. There were so many unpleasant detail that I won’t get into, but the bottom line is that I will never again did what I did. I should have listened to the officer and go straight into the bush. Yes, he was damn right!
Some Nigerian Drivers
One of the ugliest discoveries I made during my 3-week trip was that Nigeria roads are now occupied by some of the most dangerous drivers in the world. One is now more likely to be killed in a road accident in Nigeria than in armed robbery or other forms of sudden death. In fact, it’s a miracle that I am here telling the story. While travelling from Lagos to Akure, we had almost four close shaves – and about the same while returning. These drivers drive as if it’s their legitimate rights to overtake – they actually overtake other vehicles even when they can’t see their front! They drive at breakneck speeds. They make lane changes indiscriminately. And as we all know, getting a Nigerian driver’s license is as easy as buying akara. What we have now in Nigeria is a recipe for disaster – roads filled with unqualified drivers, unqualified drivers who drive on bad roads, and unqualified drivers who are under the watch of corrupt police officers on bad roads – officers who are mostly interested in their pockets more than any enforcement. So you do the math. And this doesn’t only apply to driving from one city to the other, but also within the city itself. Akure, for example, has some of the worst drivers that I am talking about. Same for Lagos. In both Lagos and Akure, their okadas (commercial motorcyclists) are some of the most dangerous individuals you can ever see. They travel opposite the traffic, move in and out of traffic and put their head into any “space” they can see on the road. Though I am a qualified driver in Canada, I made sure I didn’t drive in Nigeria – the risk outweighs the advantage. I was either driven by my brother, or took the taxi. For just three weeks, well better safe than sorry.
State Hospitals
An incident happened while I was in Akure that I had to visit the State Specialist Hospital, unfortunately. The way the personnel and hospital staff responded to me was extremely slow. If I thought I had an emergency, I changed my mind when a guy who was brought in as a ‘hit-and-run’ victim. Though he was brought into the Emergency, my observation was that these hospital staff didn’t work with any form of “emergency”. They really know how to take their time. If you are in labour, in pain, or even near death, and you are brought into the hospital, well good luck. You have to first buy a Registration Card, wait and see the doctor. And when you see the doctor, expect to be ‘questioned’ at length. And when you finally have a prescription, at least about 60% of the drugs are not in the so-called hospital “pharmacy”, so you have to go outside and buy the drugs. And when you finally bring in the drugs, they will first ensure you have paid all the required fee before any treatment can commence. So watch out! I understood later that it would have been better if I went to a private hospital, but even there I was told to expect exorbitant price.
So in conclusion, I have to say I enjoyed my trip to Nigeria in spite of all this experience combined. One thing that was very obvious to me when in Nigeria is the spirit of the people. Very many Nigerians continue to be hardworking, resilient and determined. No wonder one research showed that Nigerians are among some of the happiest people on earth. We can endure, we can hope, and we can persevere, probably more than any nation on earth. Like Rev. Jesse Jackson will say, let’s keep hope alive.