Culture Shock in Nigeria

Expat life in Nigeria is a familiar blend of socialising, sports and entertainment offered in most far flung expat destinations. International schools are available, as is good quality healthcare and expat shops with many items from Europe and the US.

 

Outside of the expat bubble however, Nigeria is a very different place and quite hard to adjust to for unseasoned expat residents. Lagos and Abuja are congested, chaotic cities that offer a healthy dose of cultural shock to most westerners. The drivers are aggressive and reckless, the store vendors persistent, local women can be very forward and in general westerners will attract attention and therefore feel conspicuous. Westerners live in compounds which recreate a western world quite apart from the maelstrom of Nigerian city life outside its electrified perimeters.

 

In business the use of professional titles in written and verbal form is very common; avoid addressing a superior by their first name unless invited to do so.

Facts about Nigeria - Information about Nigeria, business and travel