Please fly.

A word is enough for the ,

tinkinfela:

Thank you. I would probably drive myself. Will I be able to use Sat Nav?

U be like who ready to loss; pardon my 'french'

Don't even try going through Ekiti. That road is so lonely and bad. You can get robbed for 10 hours without anybody coming to your rescue. I think the Benin-Kabba route is more like it. I hate road travels. I even hate air sef.

There is noi big deal in driving from Lagos to Abuja and back. Many of us do this regularly. Just leave lagos early say by 6-7am,and when returning back, if possible avoid entering lagos-ibadan on friday evenings when redeem have program in their camp.
Such has made some of us understand Nigeria fully.when you talk about accidents, its God that keeps us all. I've seen lots of accidents on the road from abuja airport back to town. Same with kidnapping on that same abuja airport route.
Ride a good car with your a/c, most cars don't consume much on the highways with a/c, you can have 20-25 miles per gallon.
For flights, if you book well ahead, you can get 10-12k one-way ticket from aero or air nigeria.
Sure, you can use SAT NAV and without it, just ask around when on the road. Use Option 2 mentioned earlier, that's the best route to abuj.

Look, don’t mind all those saying going to Abuja by road is hell. It is not, and it is infact a pleasurable and good learning experience if you are the adventurous type. You can take in the sights, the sounds, the scenery, the smells and enjoy the wonderful scenic topography as you go along. Stock you car with plenty chops and drinks sha.

It would take you about 9hours if you know the road, about 15 or more if you don’t and have to stop to keep asking the way. But if you must go by road, better go by coach- ABC should be okay. If you don’t, your sat nav won’t help you one bit and you’ll definitely miss your way many many times. You could end up in Adamawa or Taraba near a Boko Haram enclave for all you know.So, I’l advice you not to think about it if you don’t know the way.

If you have someone who knows the way, and is ready to travel with you, fine. The road for much of the journey isn’t that bad. From Lagos- Ibadan-Ife (you go behind the city) to Ilesha is dual carriage. From Ilesha to Akure- Owo-Ijero Ekiti-Ibillo-Okene-Lokoja-Gwagwalada- Abuja is single carriage all the way. The most dangerous part of the route is Lokoja to Gwagwalada due to the number of accidents so you gotta drive carefully along that stretch.

I’ve travelled that road severally but I still took a wrong turn after Owo around Ijero Ekiti or so the last time I went by road and lost only an hour because I realized my mistake on time. Yours may be worse. I always enjoy the journey anyway- you can do one for the road (just one Udeme or shine shine bobo) beside Iwo roundabout in Ibadan, two hours after you must have left Lagos. I always enjoy akara and bread at Gbongan roundabout just outside Ife before heading for Ilesha.

Lunch is normally that Madam Patience restaurant after Akure- their pounded yam is fantastic.You can also try their amala, which is only comparable to Amala shitta(in my surulere). You could get caught up in Akure traffic from infront of FUTA gate, past Oba Adesida junction right to that junction on the outskirts beside the motor garage. So, you must show them you are a Lagos driver, else, add a half hour to your ETA.

You can refuel at that Nipco Station at Owo, get fruits on the way around Okene but by all means don’t stop in that town. Okenenians are very hostile and if they are having one of their festivals and their masquerades are on display, detour. They can block all the roads and vandalize cars in sight. Head straight to Lokoja and while there you can stop to get fine chicken barbeque to munch on the final leg of the journey. You will know where to stop once you see all those transporters and luxurious buses parked.

From there, it is one way to Gwagwalada, but before hitting that university town, you will drive past a lot of satellite villages along the way. Abaji and Kwali are two villages where you will probably will hit the worst traffic of your life- on a bad day when tankers, trucks and articulated vehicles hold sway, you can spend 6hours on that stretch there before you get to SDP junction in Gwagwalada (ordinarily like an hour or less).

If you are even more unfortunate, you will spend another one or two hours from SDP junction to Zuba junction on Aiport road (normally a 30minute jaunt). From there it’s plain sailing past Airport junction and that immigration village, past Lugbe till you hit City gate as the sight of the National Stadium finally welcomes you to Abuja Township proper.

By and large you will enjoy the experience, and since you won’t be doing this many times, do seize this opportunity and have something to tell your children. But by all means, get a guide or go by ABC Coach

I travel lagos-lokoja almost every week and no ish except for that ilesha akure stretch which i think u shld be very careful when driving pass.And pls when you get to okene dont mistakenly kill their fowl oh  
All in all its not a bad route if you are a careful driver,but if you can afford it pls use a driver that has driven on that route before

apache77:

It would take you about 9hours if you know the road, about 15 or more if you don’t and have to stop to keep asking the way. But if you must go by road, better go by coach- ABC should be okay. If you don’t, your sat nav won’t help you one bit and you’ll definitely miss your way many many times. You could end up in Adamawa or Taraba near a Boko Haram enclave for all you know.So, I’l advice you not to think about it if you don’t know the way.

Apart from the fact that ABC is a safest, he has to keep some things in mind.

1) You can not by anything through the window when on an ABC bus. All the windows will be sealed.

2) They only stop once at Lokoja.

3)They don't run more 90kilometers per hour. So, you might be getting to Abuja deep into the night.

I hate ABC like mad. But they take safety precautions sha.

Apache77 has said it all. The only details he missed is the number of sudden unexpected portholes/cratars that will appear to you in most unexpected places.
For that reason , please, do not travel at night. Those cratars have a way of skipping around the road at night.

Drivin could be fun,
But wat is d essence of fun wen d risk involve is high.
If finance is nt an issue, many road travellers will nt go by road.

afam4eva:

Apart from the fact that ABC is a safest, he has to keep some things in mind.

1) You can not by anything through the window when on an ABC bus. All the windows will be sealed.

2) They only stop once at Lokoja.

3)They don't run more 90kilometers per hour. So, you might be getting to Abuja deep into the night.

I hate ABC like mad. But they take safety precautions sha.

They stop at Ibadan too

iykay4455:

They stop at Ibadan too

All the times i've entered ABC, they've never stopped at Ibadan.

sfae journey bro, u can drive urself buh be speed conscious

@poster
yes it is safe
but it takes 10 hours.if you can stand it then go on ahead
i have traveled in it before and it is good
it is not as bad as people make it out to be
when you come you will find it out your self
and may be that will make you to start having a second thought about
what nigerians say about nigeria
we are so unfair to ourselves.
happy stay

Very Informative thread!

dayokanu:

I do Dallas to Houston every 2 weeks

280miles thats like 500km one way

 

Its not a big deal doing such  long distance by road, the problem is how good and safe are the roads, Knowing what road condition and security in nigeria are.

Just let your family memebers know about it because its going to be the worst mistake of your life, I live in Abuja and my family is back there in Ibadan and I travel down there every 2weeks, Men na so so prayer till I land, If you eventually get unfortunate and c the worst of the road you can be there for more than 18 hours, My advice, Its completely [tr]UNSAFE[/tr]

@OP, Dont even try it if you dont know your way. Just because you did Gothenburg to Sweden doesnt mean you can do Lagos to Abuja. We dont have a well developed interstate highway in Nigeria like them Oyinbos. Security on the Lagos to Abuja road is absolutely nonexistent, and taking that route, for a noobie like you, is tantamount to risking the lives of you and your, most-likely average looking, GF for no reason.

For the sake of your woman abeg go by air. Last xmas an igbo guy traveled by road with his chines wife, unfortunately for him they arrive umuahia very late. The had 2 sleep at park that 9it. The look on her face will tell u what she thinks about nigeria.

Please fly.

I drove that road 2 weeks ago (Option 2) and I really did not enjoy the journey.

U sure say no be  pursue dem dey PURSUE u  from the village?
we wey dey hia no dey even try am , just passing

Is a big risk dear "death trap" plz I will advise u to hire a competent driver to cruiz u for 8-9 hrs while u and ur babe will sit at d back tite viewing d wonders of Nigeria. Gudluk if u make it to Abj.

There is nothing wrong with driving Lagos-Abuja and Abuja-Lagos

There is nothing wrong with driving Lagos-Abuja and Abuja-Lagos. The roads are not as bad as people think

@Poster: Please read and reread Apache77's post well! He has essentially given you the most practical roadmap for the trip. @Apache77: kai, u sabi this route wella, I hail you oh!

Back to poster: eat precisely where Apache suggested, cos once you've gone past Akure, the food is crap. But be sure to try out some of Abuja's delicious grilled fish, they're pure heaven. The only thing I'd like to add is; bear in mind that 9ja roads are not like Europe. You can suddenly happen on huge craters in the middle of the road without any warning. I'd get someone who knows the road to drive the car, if I were you. Lastly, try to avoid travelling at night either way, especially between Lokoja, Abaji and Gwagwalada cos Nigerien/ Chadian robbers sometimes prey on travellers on that road. And they are much more deadly than 9ja robbers!!!!

All the best!

please have a gun for safety sha

Abeg, fly ooh. I went tru last month. Left 6am got to abuja 8am. All my joints were paining me. I wont drive that road again. The worst was my coming back, the ibadan traffic was hell, oh my God. The story of that road is scary. Pls, don't travel it at night. You may never survive. My last night experience was horible, i spent the whole nite in the bush from armed robbers. We all ran into the bush, eeh, i finish prayer that night.
I will fly next time.

If you fly you ganna miss all the action, all the Fun.

Point 1 - You talked about flying to Nigeria, so I assume you would have a journey time of 5 - 24 hrs flying time, depending on where you are flying in from
Point 2 - 45 minutes total flying time to Abuja, should be the least of your worries
Point 3 - Did I read you asking, if you could use a satellite navigation device? Yes you can use it has a display on your windscreen or as a clock.
Safety first. You decide!!!

Some people make people laugh:

@APACHE!
Why do you say his sat nav wont help him and will throw him off to Adamawa or Taraba? Have you had such experience? Come on! Dont talk about what you have not used in such manner.

People use the Sat Nav and have never reported what you are reporting - abeg, talk wetin you sabi, not one conjured up mis information.

You obviously dont know the road - how can you talk of Ijero Ekiti at Owo? Abeg look your map and wipr away all the mis information in your comment. There is no Ijero Ekiti by Owo. None at all.


OP - No let anyone scare you jare. All these would be rambos just they mi s inform people.

Get a Sat Nav and you will hit your way right there without missing your route.

Lexusgs430:

Point 1 - You talked about flying to Nigeria, so I assume you would have a journey time of 5 - 24 hrs flying time, depending on where you are flying in from
Point 2 - 45 minutes total flying time to Abuja, should be the least of your worries
Point 3 - Did I read you asking, if you could use a satellite navigation device?  Yes you can use it has a display on your windscreen or as a clock.
Safety first. You decide!!!

Another mis information -

Why do guys talk about what they know nothing about like this?

Poster - there are Sat Navs out there that will take you to your destination nice and cool. Dont mind these ones.

They want you to have a feeling Nigeria is undeveloped. Diss dem boy.