In his controversial memoirs, I Remain, Sir, Your Obedient Servant, the current Oba of Benin, writing about his travels when he was in the Nigerian civil service, said he was surprised to discover, on an official visit to Papua New Guinea, Australia, a Nigerian couple that had lived there for several years. This was in the early 70’s.

Nigerians are never timid when it comes to adventures. They are one of the most travelled people in Africa. From the Far East to the Outback, a Nigerian can always be found. Nigerians have traditionally travelled to seek economic advancement or for education. But most recently Nigerians have taken to holidaying outside the country. This is being driven by a combination of rising income, ease of travel and prestige.

Though Nigerians are widely travelled, and will go wherever catches their fancy, over the past couple of years some countries have become favourite spots for holiday seekers. Factors that have tended to make these countries favourites include relative ease of obtaining travel documents, large Nigerian communities, business opportunities, sporting/cultural events, and night life.

United Kingdom
Britain has traditionally held a special attraction for Nigerians, either for further studies, permanent emigration or to simply experience the famed sights and sounds of the country, perhaps for the fact they colonised us.

Every year, scores of young men and women take up admissions in UK schools, with many staying behind after their programmes. Also, a number of professionals have emigrated to the UK for better opportunities, encouraged by the recently introduced skilled workers scheme. Coupled with this is the increasing desire of Nigerian couples to have their babies in Ireland to take advantage of free medical services for nursing mothers/children and a citizen’s status for their children.

According to the former British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Sir Richard Gozney, “The UK Visa operation in Nigeria is one of the UK’s biggest and busiest in the world.” The effect of all this is that Britain is now home to hundreds of thousands of Nigerians. This group extends invitations for visits to family and friends back home. And with the visa regime relatively less stringent than before, most of these invitees are able to travel. Sir Gozney said between March 2006 and June 2007, over 300,000 visa applications were processed and a “customer survey” by the embassy “indicated a 97% satisfaction rating.”

The Notting Hill Carnival in London makes the capital city an exciting place to be in August, and it attracts a large number of Nigerian visitors to the event. Some plan their holidays to fall within that period. The recent craze by young Nigerians for the English Premier League has also made Britain a favourite place to be for holidaying football buffs, who have the opportunity to see, in person, some of their favourite football players.

South Africa
This former apartheid enclave attracts thousands of Nigerians yearly. The tourism potential of this country is huge. Some of the spots that have continued to attract visitors include Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent much of his 27 years incarceration; Mpumalanga, with its ‘Big Five’ (Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Rhino, Buffalo) games reserve, the Kruger National Park; God’s Window, a breathtaking view of canyons, waterfalls, and rock formations; Sabi Sand reserves, and others; Vredefort Dome in Free State Province, said to be the “oldest and largest meteorite impact site in the world”; Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, among many other interesting places.

Even Nelson Mandela, before he retired from the public, was an attraction of sort. Some Nigerians visit South Africa in the hope they might have a lifetime opportunity to see the Madiba, one of the greatest individuals the world has known, in person. South Africa has eight world heritage sites, which have continued to attract tourists and holidaymakers in droves.

Nigerians have also thronged to South Africa because of its modern and functioning infrastructure and the opportunities for economic advancement, which many of the unskilled black South Africans cannot readily take advantage of. From brief visits, some Nigerians often decide to take up residence in the country. Today, there is a growing community of Nigerians in all areas of South African life, from academics, business to entertainment and sports. Some of the well-known Nigerians who make the country their second home include Bankole Omotosho, an academic who was a professor at the University of the Western Cape, and Peterside Idah, a former Super Eagles goalkeeper and now football analyst for the South African TV station, Supersport. Night life in SA is one experience you cannot pass up. From the Alba Cocktail Lounge and Rafikis in Cape Town, Back to Basix, Carfax, and Crazy 88 clubs in Johannesburg to the Alhambra Theatre and Montecasino Village, also in Johannesburg, you have all the fun you can want to keep your nights exciting.
Dubai
Over the past four years, Dubai has offered the promise of fun and affordability to Nigerians. Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, gained international attention for its sporting (it attracted international sports personalities in golf and tennis yearly) events and its spectacular properties.

Dubai has the only seven star hotel (Burj Al Arab) in the world. Its free trade zones ensure certain goods are tax free. This has especially been the attraction for Nigerian traders and eventually holidaymakers, who see an opportunity not only to behold many of the country’s architectural wonders but also to shop for items from clothing to electronics at a bargain in one of its gigantic shopping malls. For an Arab society, Dubai’s social circuit is quite upscale, with a number of clubs, hotels, and party centres catering to the needs of locals and visitors. The New York Times recently named Dubai its “travel choice for partying in 2008.”

Dubai’s travel requirements make it particularly alluring to visitors. In most cases one can get a visa through a tourist company or through one of the numerous hotels in Dubai. Some of the other attractions are a tour by seaplane of the entire city of Dubai (for only about N26, 000), from where you can behold a spectacle to leave you speechless – the man-made archipelagoes, the sand dunes, the Burj Al Arab, and many more; visits to Hatta, Hatta Mountain, Heritage and Diving Village, where the traditional Dubai setting is being recreated, Bedouin Village, and others. If you are the outdoor type, then you will love the sun, and beautiful beaches. To keep your nights busy and exciting are hundreds of clubs, bars, cafes, and cinemas. Some of these include: Trilogy Nightclub, Boudoir, Carbon Lounge, Rock Bottom Café, Double Decker Bar, and Zinc.

Ghana
Ghana, our tiny West African neighbours, have benefitted immensely from heavy traffic from Nigeria, over the past couple of years. Nigerians, either for business or leisure, seem to see Ghana as a very bright prospect, and with good reason. The country has one of the most stable and peaceful polity in Africa. To handle the flow of traffic, a number of bus services to Ghana now ply the Lagos-Accra route, for those who prefer to go by road. There are more than four bus terminals in Lagos dedicated to the route. Heavyweight transporters like Cross Country and ABC Transport now ply the route.

As a member of ECOWAS, you do not need a visa to enter Ghana. With less than N10, 000 you can be in Accra, Ghana, by road and by air for around N40, 000. To be sure, Ghana’s economy is nowhere near as strong as Nigeria’s. And that perhaps partly explains the attraction of Ghana as a holiday spot, over the past three years. It is cheap. With about N200, 000, one can have an exciting two-week holiday in Ghana, this includes transportation, hotel lodging, feeding and visits to some interesting locations in the country.

One might need more to take a similar holiday in Nigeria, depending on your choice. For instance, you will definitely need far more for a two-week holiday at Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross River State. Added to spending less is the advantage of experiencing life outside your country, of meeting new people, knowing new cultures, and certainly having fewer distractions compared to being in Nigeria.

One thing going for Ghana is that the country is very stable and peaceful. It has been able to evolve a workable polity over the past 12 years. The effect is that it has allowed the government to focus on improving the country, particularly its infrastructure.

Ghana has succeeded in taming some of its infrastructural problems; it has good roads, functional water board and a constant power supply. Three years ago, the country celebrated a whole year of uninterrupted power supply. Such high profile Nigerians like Dele Momodu, publisher of Ovation magazine, Idris Abdulkareem, a musician, and many others have made Ghana their homes. Nigerian churches are opening up outreaches in Ghana and Nigerians often organise conferences and retreats in the country. In March this year, the Senate committee on health organised a health retreat to Ghana.

Some of the attractions in Ghana include Akosmobo and Volta Lake; the National Museum, Makola Market in Greater Accra; the Fuller waterfalls, Ancient City, and Bui National Park, with its large hippopotamus population, in Brong Ahafo Region; the famous Gold Coast centre, Cape Coast, in Central Region with its World Heritage Monuments: Elmina, St Jago and Cape Coast Castles, and many others.

Ghana is not lacking in night entertainments. It has something for every taste, from its western styled clubs and bars to the more African hot spots. Visit Bywels or Champs in Accra, Vic Baboo’s in Kumasi or the Ghana Film Theatre and Executive Film House in Accra.

Trinidad & Tobago
This country is becoming popular with holidaying Nigerians. Trinidad & Tobago is a southern Caribbean state in Latin America made up of 23 islands, with Trinidad & Tobago the two largest. It is an oil rich country like Nigeria. Trinidad has a rich history in entertainment; it gave the world calypso, soca (a form of dance music), steelpan (a musical instrument), and limbo (a dance). Attesting to the growing fondness for the country by many Nigerians was the recently organised nationwide calypso dance competition, which was hugely successful.

Tourism is a growing industry in Trinidad & Tobago and is far less popular than the other Caribbean islands like Cayman Island, Bahamas, Jamaica, and others; countries that attract millions of tourists annually.

The country has a tropical climate, which perhaps suits Nigerian visitors, coming from the tropics themselves. One important attraction in Trinidad & Tobago is its famous pre-Lenten Carnival, in the mode of the Notting Hill Carnival in London or that of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The carnival, which holds February to March each year, is held in the capital, Port of Spain.

Sights to behold in Trinidad & Tobago are the Magnificent Seven, a group of unusual mansions in Queen’s Park Savannah in the capital city area, which includes Whitehall, the prime minister’s office, Hayes Court, which housed the Anglican Bishop, and Roomor, residence of the Roman Catholic Archbishop; the Fort King George, built in 1700; and its stretch of beautiful and scenic beaches.

For your nights out, visit the Harlekin, Café Iguana, or Green Moray Bar.

Business opportunities
While you take that holiday, you might want to do a little business by the side. The investment climates in these places are favourable. Dubai and SA stock markets are doing well, while the UK market is in danger of correcting. In real estate, the Dubai market is high and going up, beware, though, of buying near a top. The UK property market is even more promising. The market is on the way down and bargains will likely be had from next year

From Britain to Trinidad & Tobago, Nigerians appear to be having their money’s worth of quiet rest, entertainment, partying, exploring, fun, and whatever else catches their fancy as they take deserved breaks from the everyday drudgery of work, business and the country.