Accommodation in Nigeria

The housing situation in Nigeria is a dire one, with demand dwarfing supply, and with only limited accommodation available that would satisfy western expat standards.  As a result, the cost of renting an “acceptable” bungalow, duplex, apartment or house in the nation is outlandish, and well-beyond the price range warranted by the average professional’s salary; a one-bedroom bungalow can be as much as £12,000 per year, with contracts that require a two-year lease that must be paid up-front. 

 

Thankfully, for expats, most hiring employers not only finance foreigner’s accommodation, but also secure it and assume responsibility for any leasing logistics. In some cases, companies even own properties specifically designed to accommodate expats, as it proves cheaper to purchase a house in Nigeria than to rent one for years on end. 

 

This commonality applies both to expats living in the big cities, Abuja and Lagos, as well as those lured abroad to the more isolated, oil-rich areas of the Niger Delta, like Port Harcourt. 

 

If a housing stipulation has not been included in your contract be wary, this is standard practice and you should certainly demand your company support you in some way.

 

Still though, it’s not out of the ordinary for expats who arrive to work in Nigeria to be put up in a hotel initially, while the house hunting process gets underway. If this is the case, the only way to guarantee a five-star experience is to stay in one of the international hotels, which proves excessively expensive. Anything else will be pretty basic, and will most likely be equivalent to a one- or two-star experience elsewhere. 

 

While expats working outside of major metropolises will almost always live in company compounds, walled enclaves of houses varying in size and number, even those within Nigeria’s commercial capital (Lagos) and official capital (Abuja) will find that accommodation for expats is usually concentrated in specific areas or suburbs of the city also within company compounds, apartment blocks or pre-established private housing complexes. Sumptuously furnished, Spartan semi-furnished and completely unfurnished housing is available.

 

Often this sort of accommodation comes complete with 24-hour security (in some cases even armed guards), wireless Internet, on-site amenities like tennis courts and a pool, and even domestic help. Nigerian housing can thus be incredibly spacious and equally beautiful, though, the surrounding squalor of nearby neighbourhoods can be devastating – low income earners, who make-up the majority of the Nigerian population, are the most affected by the inadequate supply of housing.  

 

Thus, while expats who are lucky enough to secure the kind of accommodation found in Lagos’s luxurious Victoria Island and Ikoyi areas or in Abuja’s Beverly Hills-esque Maitama or Mississippi districts will find that security threats are kept at bay by adequate precautionary measures, they will also find that life in these areas can feel particularly isolated. On that same note though, some expats take solace in the camaraderie that a tight-knit, insular expat community can provide. 

 

On the whole though, no matter where you live, there are some things that you just can’t avoid. Notably, Nigeria’s incredibly temperamental power supply -  it’s become a running joke that NEPA, the acronym for the National Electric Power Authority, actually stands for “Never Expect Power Always”. 

 

Thus, boreholes and generators are a must, otherwise, you can look forward to regular blackouts with little or no warning. 

 

Additionally, if possible, it’s best to live close to your office or, if you have children, their school. Traffic in Nigeria’s cities, especially Lagos, can be nightmarish, and nothing can be as frustrating as spending hours in the car. 

 

Lastly, even if domestic help isn’t a feature tacked onto your employment package, it’s affordable and easily accessible in Nigeria. Most expats opt for some sort of house help, some even choosing to have a staff member live on-site. If considering this little luxury, be sure to get recommendations from other expats.