Abuja, Nigeria Report of what it's like to live there - 03/20/24
Personal Experiences from Abuja, Nigeria
Background:
1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?
This is our second post, third city in Africa, and we've also lived in Eastern Europe.
2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
About 27 hours from the West Coast and it takes two flights.
3. What years did you live here?
2023 to present
4. How long have you lived here?
One year.
5. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?
Diplomatic mission.
Housing, Groceries & Food:
1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
We live in a U.S. housing compound next to the school. There isn't a lot of storage but the commute to school can't be beat! It's only 10-15 min from the embassy by car as well. It's a great community.
2. How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Easier than some other places, though certain imported items are expensive (such as cheese).
3. What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
The usual suspects at Costco are always helpful, especially maple syrup.
4. What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
There's online ordering and a variety of cuisines available.
5. Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?
Not bad in the house at all for mosquitos. We are often battling ants but a sufficient amount of ant bait traps does the trick.
Daily Life:
1. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
We've got a very good nanny/housekeeper and a full time cook. It's pretty awesome to come home after work to a hot meal, clean house, and happy kids.
Transportation:
1. What kind of vehicle(s) including electric ones do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, infrastructure, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car or vehicles do you advise not to bring?
If you can get a higher clearance SUV that isn't too fancy, that is best. We can't drive far distances so an old Toyota is great - easy to fix, easy to sell.
Pets:
1. Are qualified veterinarians and/or good kennel services available? Do animals need to be quarantined upon entry to the country? Are there other considerations regarding pets that are particular to this country?
No quarantine and pretty easy if you do the paperwork with a good vet. Our vet even picked up our pets from cargo and gave them a wash and delivered them right to our house.
Health & Safety:
1. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
Seasonally bad during Harmattan, but our housing has air filters and the school has installed some as well.
Schools & Children:
1. What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
We're very happy with AISA we have four kids there. One of our kids even decided to leave a fancy boarding school to come here to finish high school because of the welcoming environment. It has a pretty decent range of activities given the size and that also means our kids get to participate in activities and sports that might be harder to get into (especially at the higher grades) in a larger or more competitive school. We have kids needing learning support and others needing acceleration and they've all been supported or challenged as needed. Most teachers are expats but also have a local teacher aid as well. In general we are happy here and would recommend it.
2. What accommodations do schools make for special-needs kids?
Our high schoolers use the learning support program and get a fair amount of one on one help with organization.
