Working in Nigeria, how dangerous is it?

pipelaser

Think im on the verge of being offered a job in Nigeria.
Will involve a lot of travelling around the South Western quarter of the country, staying in hotels and will have an apartment in Lagos. Working in Construction supervision. Will have little contact with other westerners day to day
· Will have my own Driver (local guy)
· Will have my own personal assistant (local guy)
Was happy enough to go but anyone ive spoken to has completely put the ****s up me.
Has anyone got any first had experience or do they know anyone with first had experience?

Otis Driftwood

No first hand experience but personally I wouldnt go there for love nor money.

Just read the news.A quick google search threw up that there have been 512 kidnappings this year as at July 23rd.And they are just kidnappings that have been motivated by money.

I would imagine that you would be perfectly safe but as I said,for me personally,I wouldnt go there in a million years.

cee_jay

I used to work for a company that asked people to go there regularly - you got double your salary for the length of time you were there. My friend was considering going to pay off debts - she would have saved a fortune because wouldn't have been able to go out etc over there. She ended up deciding against it after talking to another guy in the company that had been kidnapped while there. Kidnappings are rife - they seem to target employees of large companies for big pay offs from what we learnt.

qwertz

Not even with an armed guard!

the_syco

qwertz wrote: »

Not even with an armed guard!

I'd say this would make them think you are worth more money.

qwertz

Being a white guy or girl in Nigeria will make you look like money

civildefence

pipelaser wrote: »

Think im on the verge of being offered a job in Nigeria.
Will involve a lot of travelling around the South Western quarter of the country, staying in hotels and will have an apartment in Lagos. Working in Construction supervision. Will have little contact with other westerners day to day
· Will have my own Driver (local guy)
· Will have my own personal assistant (local guy)
Was happy enough to go but anyone ive spoken to has completely put the ****s up me.
Has anyone got any first had experience or do they know anyone with first had experience?

Don't ever go to Nigeria

Neamhshuntasach

I was in Nigeria for a month traveling around with a white french girl. Had no problems what so ever. Just pay attention to the news in case there is unrest in certain regions.

sdanseo

Wouldn't do it for a six-fugure salary myself.

x in the city

things must be pretty foooked if people are talking of going to Nigeria..:eek:


would have to be mental to go there tbh....

Victor McDade

UK government website, have a read through

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/nigeria

brendansmith

savemejebas wrote: »

UK government website, have a read through

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/nigeria

Jesus, that is alot of bad sh1t! That ought to discourage anybody.

x in the city

well, I was reading them National Geographic type mags in some company and there was an article about Nigeria

pissing hot weather, killing, kindnappings, dead corpses behind bus shelters

its all there..

:rolleyes:

Glasgow83

I'd go in a second! It might just be the experience you need to appreciate life more instead of moping around dismal Ireland listening to everyone winge about the weather etc
The only thing that would stop me is dependants, it wouldnt be smart to involve them in your risk.
And hey if you decide to go and get kidnapped soak it up itll build character! good luck!

Eurorunner

The OP needs to find an online forum thats got real info from expats living there (i'm sure youd find one given an hour on the www). Then you will get more credible info. Government websites are always conservative in the advise that they offer. I have been to a number of countries now that have had a 'travel advisory' on them without any problems.
If your informed about the specific areas your traveling to and otherwise have some street smarts your much less likely to encounter problems. Talk to locals, and fellow expats re. where to go/not to go, what to avoid, where the dangers are,etc.

Don't know anything about Nigeria, but on the plus side, expat life is good if your earning western currency in a 2nd or 3rd world nation. You simply can't spend it.

helimachoptor

OP OP OP!!!!!

do not go, It is not worth it. A very good friend of mine from europe was working in Kenya a few years ago for a well known telecoms provider. Him and another guy were sent to Nigeria for a month to do some work.

They were in Lagos for a couple of weeks. They had a driver (armed) he picked them up in the compound everyday and drove them to work and picked them up. This company kicked up a fuss apparently because he was taking the car home with him(back to the slums) and expensing the petrol. My friend and the other guy gave him extra money for this to keep on his good side.

The final part of their work involved a lot of road travel where they had 2 armed escorts (cant remember the place they were going). anyway their car was attacked one of their escorts was killed and the other guy picked up his AK and shot one of the attackers (both from a country where compulsory military service was/is required)

Jumped into the car and drove back to Lagos with the dead bodyguard in the boot.

I was offered a job there about 18 months ago setting up satellite roaming base stations around the north of the country. I would have tripled my salary in 6 months work.

OP if you do a search for an Ericsson guy who was killed along with his entire family a few years ago, kidknapping gone wrong.

kaimera

Spent a month there earlier in the year.

Quite restrictive; own driver to go between hotel/work/food. Lazy drivers, can be waiting ages for them to show up. Do not go anywhere on yer own, do not walk anywhere.

Trips out of the city to sites required an armed escort.

Not cheap as far as african countries go.

HIV.

eof.

Not the worst place I've ever been *cough*Tchad*cough* but a close second tbph. Iran was better...that's saying a lot.

I was in Lagos; few clubs and stuff on an approved work list we had; never had any hassle but there was a feeling that something might happen at anytime, pretty **** like.

[edit]

the single worst thing..."yore just my size"...when her arms are the size of her tits which are bigger than ****ing hot air balloons and she's only 5'4, you do not ever ever ever ever want a girl (I dont care what colour) to say that to you
*shudder*

the_syco

Off-topic, but what are the rules over there regarding buying an AK over there for personal use?

dlofnep

Stay in Ireland. Things can't be THAT bad.

Nody

the_syco wrote: »

Off-topic, but what are the rules over there regarding buying an AK over there for personal use?

You would not want an AK I'd say but rather a bullet proof vest and a Beretta 92F that you practiced with before or similar.

The biggest problem though would really be the fact that your guards may be the once who kidnap you/sell you for a quick buck.

Third_Echelon

Wouldn't go near the place for love nor money!

Did you see the recent Ross Kemp show in Nigeria about the pirates in the Niger Delta? Lots of stuff in there regarding Port Harcourt, Lagos etc....

It is a war zone! No amount of money is worth the risk that being a foreigner in Nigeria brings...

KTRIC

The company I work for opened an office there a couple of months ago. We support that region and they wanted someone from IT to go to Lagos to help out with the setup.

I was asked a couple of times but I point blank refused. They said it was fine, its safe enough. I said "yeah right", 6ft 4' blond haired guy in a suit won't stick out a mile or anything.

Jonty

Nody wrote: »

You would not want an AK I'd say but rather a bullet proof vest and a Beretta 92F that you practiced with before or similar.

The biggest problem though would really be the fact that your guards may be the once who kidnap you/sell you for a quick buck.

You hit the nail on the head. OP if you are considering this, have you had any prior military training?

elambra

helimachoptor wrote: »

OP OP OP!!!!!

do not go, It is not worth it. A very good friend of mine from europe was working in Kenya a few years ago for a well known telecoms provider. Him and another guy were sent to Nigeria for a month to do some work.

They were in Lagos for a couple of weeks. They had a driver (armed) he picked them up in the compound everyday and drove them to work and picked them up. This company kicked up a fuss apparently because he was taking the car home with him(back to the slums) and expensing the petrol. My friend and the other guy gave him extra money for this to keep on his good side.

The final part of their work involved a lot of road travel where they had 2 armed escorts (cant remember the place they were going). anyway their car was attacked one of their escorts was killed and the other guy picked up his AK and shot one of the attackers (both from a country where compulsory military service was/is required)

Jumped into the car and drove back to Lagos with the dead bodyguard in the boot.

I was offered a job there about 18 months ago setting up satellite roaming base stations around the north of the country. I would have tripled my salary in 6 months work.

OP if you do a search for an Ericsson guy who was killed along with his entire family a few years ago, kidknapping gone wrong.

Hi, do you have a link to this kidnapping story?

OP, its not that bad.
I know a lot of guys working down there, if you aren't in the oil industry or working in the delta, you should be fine.

Lagos is rough, but with a bit of cop on you'll be grand. Not a lot to do down there but drink, gamble, golf and whore during your time off. Expect a 'strange' infrastructre - medical facilities are great but there is a really dodgy power grid, that kind of thing.

kravmaga

pipelaser wrote: »

Think im on the verge of being offered a job in Nigeria.
Will involve a lot of travelling around the South Western quarter of the country, staying in hotels and will have an apartment in Lagos. Working in Construction supervision. Will have little contact with other westerners day to day
· Will have my own Driver (local guy)
· Will have my own personal assistant (local guy)
Was happy enough to go but anyone ive spoken to has completely put the ****s up me.
Has anyone got any first had experience or do they know anyone with first had experience?

If you go to www.asigroup.com

They assess the threat level of a specific destination.

On The World Threat Map ,NIGERIA is marked as Level 5 Threat Level, which is the highest.

NIGERIA is also marked as very high for the following

Crime
Espionage
Ethnic conflict
Kidnapping
Demonstrations/ Protest/ Civil Unrest
Political Instability


This is from the latest hot spot report from the website

Nigeria (Country threat level -5 ): According to reports released on 14 August 2009, the Islamist sect Boko Haram has declared a total jihad in Nigeria. In the statement, which was dated 9 August, the sect stated that it will "unleash terror" in southern and northern Nigerian cities from August 2009, beginning with bombings in Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu and Port Harcourt. The statement added that sect members will "kill and eliminate" political leaders and "hunt and gun down" those who oppose Sharia law. The jihad declaration comes after sect members clashed with security forces in the northern Bauchi, Borno, Kano and Yobe states in late July and early August 2009, leaving up to 800 people dead. The offensive ended when the Nigerian military bombed the sect's complex in Maiduguri, Borno state, forcing the militants to flee and leading to the capture and death of their leader, Mohammed Yusuf.

kravmaga

ASI THREAT LEVEL DEFINITIONS

1 - Security issues rarely affect individuals or organizations. These locations have an extremely low rate of violent crime.

2 - Locations may have several low-level security issues, but these generally have minimal physical impact on individuals and organizations.

3 - Incidents of violent crime, terrorism and/or extremist activity occur more frequently, but are still sporadic.

4 - Incidents such as armed robbery, carjacking, civil unrest, terrorism and/or extremist activity can occur frequently, and there is a greater risk that security issues could physically impact individuals and organizations.

5 - Locations can be affected by rampant violent crime, volatile situations of civil unrest, frequent terrorist extremist attacks and/or open military conflict.


HOT SPOTS is also available at no charge via email. http://www.asigroup.com/hotspots-register.asp

helimachoptor

elambra wrote: »

Hi, do you have a link to this kidnapping story?

Cant find a link on it because, everytime i search for ericsson/kidnapping/nigeria i get thousands of results but trusts me it's true.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

civildefence wrote: »

Don't ever go to Nigeria

OP, do NOT listen to this... There are a lot of ignorant people that will say rubbish about it. They probably don't know where nigeria is on the map. Scarmongering fools.

Learn from someone firsthand. Get advice from the Irish embassy. Do some research... Do NOT listen to people on forums. It's not wise, will fill you with sh!t.

Best of luck OP.

civildefence

Jada Victorious Numeral wrote: »

There are a lot of ignorant people that will say rubbish about it.

I've been there (not by choice) so I'm not talking rubbish. I hated the place and felt in danger every minute I was there. Psychos walking the streets with assault rifles. Say no more.

Jada Victorious Numeral wrote: »

They probably don't know where nigeria is on the map.

Just googled it. It's in Africa seemly.

Jada Victorious Numeral wrote: »

Do NOT listen to people on forums.

What the hell are you doing here then?

lmibmry

Hi OP,

I was in Nigeria a few years ago with work. Was not looking forward to the trip at all. It's not a great spot at all but have to say, I was expecting worst. I was in Abuja which I believe is far safer than Lagos..
Would not advise going for a walk down the street or anything like that.