10 hidden secrets of vacations in Nigeria

It was a really tough trying to decide where to go for my next vacation, I had a lot of places in mind but didn't know wish to pick until my husband came up with the idea of visiting Africa

We had to put our heads together and finally decided on NIGERIA (a.k.a. GIANT OF AFRICA)
I have to tell you it was a great decision,one that opened my eyes to things I wish I had known a long time ago .

I visited different states of the country, the beaches, resorts, the art and cultures of the different tribes, great restaurants,good food (lots of fast food too if you aren't so keen on the food), and most importantly,The people were nice and very friendly.

I used to have negative impression of the country until I visited,And I know you would too after going through my great fun-filled experience.
READ ON.

I was so caught up in the fun of Nigeria and would have missed some very outstanding sights
So to make it easier for you I would give you a short list of things you shouldn't miss.

1. Don't miss the Natural Attractions (Hills, waterfalls, springs, lakes, mountains, rocks, beaches etc.).

2. Don't miss the Man Made Attractions( Resorts, parks, game reserves, ranches etc).This great places made me stay an extra week .YOU WOULD IF YOU KNEW

3. Don't miss the landmarks, museums and galleries.(you would be amazed at what you see)

4. Don't miss the night-life.(could be real fun ,if you go with a partner)

5. Don't miss the Cultural Attractions( Festivals, carnivals etc.) and art market sales(make sure you take some artifacts back home.)

NIGERIA has about 15 beaches scattered in different states of the country. The state of Lagos, which was formerly the capital city(now Abuja is)has about 7 beaches, other states like calabar(Cross river),Akwa-Ibom,Bayelsa and others have about 1 to 3.
Here is an alphabetical list of the beaches:
1. Agge Palm Beach in bayelsa
2. Alpha beach in Lagos
3. Badagry beach in Lagos
4. Bar beach in Lagos
5. Calabar beach in cross river
6. Coconut beach in Lagos
7. Eleko beach in Lagos
8. Eket beach in akwa-ibom
9. Finima beach in rivers
10. Kuramo beach in Lagos
11. Lekki beach in Lagos
12. Nwaniba beach in akwa-ibom
13. Okpoama beach in bayelsa
14. Takwa bay beach in Lagos
15. Uwana beach in abia
This are the current beaches in Nigeria, surprised! Aint you? I was too.

The hills are:

1. Idanre hills
2. Kufena hills
3. Milliken hills
4. Koma hills
5. Oke Marie hills
6. Rolling hills of Okigwe
7. Shere hills
8. Somorika hills
9. Three sisters hills
10.Jamter hills
The names sound funny and interesting, right? But it is nothing compared to the sight.

There are several l lakes in the different states and they are all different and unique in their individual manner.
They are:
1. Bagauda lake
2. Ebomi lake
3. Kainji lake
4. Chad lake
5. Nike lake
6. Oguta lake
These are beautiful lakes you must see.

The rocks are synonymous with the name of the town where they are situated. For example the Olumo rock, on Abeokuta. The cave around the rocks offered sanctuary to the founding fathers of the town during the days of inter-tribal wars. The Egba people who inhabited the area found these rocks not only as a unifying factor but also worship them in the belief that they derive their natural strength and protection from supreme beings. Guided tours are conducted for visitors by duty guides.
Other rocks are the:
1. Gibadi rocks
2. Zuma rocks
3. Wase rocks
4. Kazaure rocks
5. Olumo rocks
6. Riyom rocks

There are various warm springs. An example is the ikogosi warm spring. This warm spring runs down a hilly landscape where it forms a confluence with another cold spring from an adjoining hill and merges into one continuous stream. The evergreen tall trees which surround the spring provide the canopy under which visitors relax. The people of Ikogosi worship the goddess of the water and have strong belief in the myth around it. The undulating landscape adds natural beauty to the scenery. It is located in Ekiti State.
The list includes the:
1. Bagauda spring
2. Kerang spring
3. Chad spring
4. Nike spring
5. Ikogosi warm spring
6. Ngeji warm spring
7. Wikki warm spring

The Owu waterfalls are a good example. This is one of the highest and most spectacular waterfalls in West Africa and is sometimes referred to as the 'wonder in the wilderness'. It cascades from a height of about 120 meters to form a pool of ice cold water at its base. The site has a beautiful landscape and offers visitors a refreshing atmosphere. The fall is capable of generating huge revenue from local and foreign tourists
More waterfalls in Nigeria include:
1. Assop falls
2. Agbokin falls
3. Gurara falls
4. Enemebia falls
5. Ipole-iloro waterfalls
6. Kura falls
7. Mait sirga falls
8. Kwa falls
9. Olumirin falls
10. Owu waterfalls

The cultural displays of the Nigeria people are usually colorful, exciting and memorable. The festival attracts visitors from other countries,
They are the:
1. EYO FESTIVAL: This annual festival of the people of the Eko people of Lagos holds annually and usually culminates in the display of masquerades adorned resplendently in white flowing dresses and hats to match.

2. KWA-GHIR FESTIVAL: A festival of the Tiv people in Benue state of Nigeria, it is a display of traditional masquerades, Puppet Theater, some forms of acrobatics, dancing, music and sartorial display. A colorful festival indeed, it attracts many people and is accentuated by the friendliness and warm welcome of the Tiv people of Nigeria.

3. THE DURBAR: This is usually a festival culminating in a horse race at the behest of an Emir, a traditional ruler. With roots in the Islamic way of life, the Durbar is colorful, exciting and open to all to watch.

4. ARGUNGU FISHING FESTIVAL:Argungun fishing festival dates to the 16th century. It has its origin in one of the local fishing festivals called Su. But the little local event was given a wild dimension in 1934 and has since then included traditional wrestling, boxing, archery, motor rally and agricultural shows.
The festival attracts visitors from other countries. Participants are mainly from Sokoto and neighbouring states and some from Niger Republic. Fishing is done by traditional method only. The fisherman with the biggest catch receives a prize

5. ARGUNGU MOTOR RALLY: As part of the fishing festival, car manufacturers and marketers have organized the annual motor rally in which cars go through an endurance race over country roads. Notable names like Toyota, Mercedes and Peugeot feature in the rally.

6. BOAT REGATTA: The Izons and other peoples of the Niger Delta Area have festivals that include extremely colorful boat regattas and water races. Canoe races are also a feature and visitors are attracted to these from various parts of the world .

7. NEW YAM FESTIVAL OF THE IGBOS: The new yam festival is rooted in the ancient worship of the gods of the land for a fruitful harvest. Modernized and still as flamboyant as ever, the festival holds around August and features masquerades, traditional dances, wrestling competitions and other sporting and gaming events.

8. THE Mmanwu Festival In Enugu state

Nigeria has long established a chain of national museums whose headquarters is in Lagos - the Onikan Museum. It contains the best and largest collections of ancient works of art in ivory and bronze. These art products are famous all over the world. The Nok Terra Cotta date back to the year 900 BC.
The world tour exhibition of "2000 years of Nigerian Art" and its suggestive technology which took place in various world capitals was very successful.
Other museums are
1. The Esie Museum in llorin, Kwara State
2. lgbo-Ukwu Archaeological Escavations in Enugu State
3. Nok Terra Cottas in
4. Owo Museum of Antiquities in Ondo/Ekiti State
5. Jos Museum and Zoological gardens in Plateau State
6. The War Museum in Umuahia, Abia state
7. Didi Museum in Lagos state
8. National Museum - Onikan, Lagos state
9. Gidan Makama Museum, in Kano state
10. Calabar Museum, in calabar state

1. Niger-Benue Confluence: - This is where the Rivers Niger and Benue join at Lokoja. It can be toured on available boats, on canoes or viewed from the a close by hill giving a panoramic view of the confluence
2. Yankari game reserve:-This is Nigeria's most popular holiday resort, located in Bauchi State and declared open in December 1962. The Yankari Game Reserve covers an area of about 900 square kilometers. Varieties of wild animals, birds and reptiles abound. They include lions, giraffes, elephants, cheetahs, monkeys, wild hunting dogs, gazelles, Egyptian cobras, marabou stork, crocodiles, African pythons, water buck, cattle fowls, glossy ibis, foxes, baboons, Senegal parrots, cuckoo etc
3. KAINJI LAKE GAME RESERVE: See elephants, lions, hippos and crocodiles in their natural habitats. Also visit the craft shops at Wawa and enjoy the delicate cuisine of the local communities. This game reserve is located in Niger and Kwara states of Nigeria
4. OBUDU CATTLE RANCH: The ranch is located in Cross River state of Nigeria and has near temperate climate owing to its location on high hills. As a tourist attraction, it has a waterfall, a gorilla habitat, and opportunities to see a variety of birds
5. The Nike Lake Holiday Resort at Enugu
6. The Ogbunike Cave in Enugu state
7. Te Oba's Palace in Benin
8. The Benin Moat
9. The Egene Natural Tunnel, in Benue state
10. The Makurdi Zoo, in Benue state
11. The Ogbudu-Apa (mass grave of junkun warriors), in Benue state
12. The Idoma Palace, in Benue state
13. lkwe Wildlife Park at lgbor, in Benue state
14. The Montare Game Reserve in kwande Local Government Area, in Benue state
15. Emir of Katsina's Palace
16. The Legendary Kasugu Well
17. Emir of Zaria's Palace
18. The Emir of Kano's Palace
19. Bilikisu Sungbo Shrine.,in Ogun state
20. Mapo Hall (built on top of Mapo hill, in Oyo state
21. Bower's Tower, in Oyo state
22. Alafin's Palace, Oyo
23. Mokola Cultural Centre, in Oyo state
24. lddo Cenotaph, in Oyo state
25. Ancient City Walls, in Oyo state
26. Osun Oshogbo Shrine,in Osun state
27. OonTs Palace,lle-ife, in Osun state
28. Ancient City Walls, in Osun state
29. Erin ljesha Falls, in Osun state
30. Jos Wildlife Park
31. Pandam Tourist Resort Complex.plateue state
32. The oil well at Olobiri (where oil was first found in commercial quantity in Nigeria)
33. Slave Transit Hall at Akasa,River state
34. The Mambilla Tourist Centre,Adamawa
35. Gashaka/Gumpti Game Reserves
36.Whispering palms in Lagos state

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Culture is the way of life of a people. In Nigeria, culture is Art. It is religion, it is tradition, it is environment, and it is life itself. Art in Nigeria dates back to over 2,000 years and in the archaeological discoveries that depicted the works of the people, the culture of the various peoples of Nigeria is also illustrated.

Nok Culture
The Nok culture was also discovered through archaeological finds. It is considered the earliest culture that emerged in Nigeria. The name Nok came from the site in which it was first discovered, but it seems to have fairly widespread in the region north of the Benue. The characteristic features of the Nok culture which flourished from 500 BC to AD 200 are the terracotta figurines associated with it and the extensive use of iron. The source of the knowledge of an iron technology has been attributed to the civilization of b"Meroe" in what is today the Republic of Sudan, as well as to Carthage in North Africa.

Brass and Bronze Casting
Brass or bronze casting is still made but there is nothing produced now to compare with the fabulous lfe and Benin bronzes. This perfect example of portraiture and the "cire Perdue" method of casting, together with the equally perfect
Terracotta's thought to be of the same period and possibly by the same craftsmen, have no equals anywhere. Apart from the Benin and lfe bronzes, archaeological finds at lgbo-Ukwu, in Enugu State, have revealed advanced ancient works of art. The lgbo-Ukwu bronzes which have elaborate intricate symmetrical designs are as remarkable as the letter known lfe works.

Grass Weaving
Because grass is plentiful in the northern parts of Nigeria, northern craftsmen and women make grass baskets, fans, tables and floor mats. Some of the objects are beautifully colored and are durable.

Wood Carving
Though places like Benin and Akwa are acknowledged as centers of wood-carving, wood carvers have flourished all over southern Nigeria since time immemorial, making figures for shrines, portraiture, masks, representations of the spirits of the field, forest, stream, earth, sea, sky, water, fire and thunder. The works of old carvers remain in many villages where they provide the villages with their shrines, utensils and ornaments to this day. Many of the older examples of these products are preserved in the national and other museums.

Ivory Carving
Ivory carvings have for many years adorned ancestral altars in Benin and the palaces of Nigerian rulers. Ivory carvings are also available in homes and offices as paper knives, inlaid cigar boxes, cigarette holders, ladies earrings, hatpins, necklaces, bangles and innumerable small pieces of decor.

Glass and Metal Work
The metal works, glass beads and bangles of Bida are familiar articles to visitors to Nigeria. The bead makers in particular preserve their ancient skills as a family tradition. The metal workers were originally the armored of the north. Their art is now applied to the production of skillfully fashioned and decorated trays, bowls, and pots, rings, bangles and the like.

Leather and Calabash
The skin popularly known as Morocco leather comes from goatskin from Sokoto. It was erroneously given the name "Morocco leather" because, until recently, it reached Europe through Moroccan traders who bought them from Nigerian caravan traders across the Sahara Desert. Excellent leatherwork and calabash carvings are produced in Kano and Oyo.

Pottery
Excavations have shown that pottery attained a high level of development in Nigeria several hundred years ago. The tradition has been maintained and Nigerian pottery today ranks among the most artistic in the world.
The best known pottery centre in the country is Suleja in Niger State. In 1963, a Nigerian pottery worker, the Late Dr. Ladi Kwali, toured Great Britain and Europe to demonstrate the art of pottery-making in Nigeria. Products of the Pottery centre at Okigwe in Imo State were widely distributed in Nigeria and abroad.

Cloth Weaving
Another outstanding craft of Nigeria is cloth weaving. The popular Akwete cloth woven in a town of that name in Abia State is fast changing the dress fashion of many women who live in, or come to the country. Produced on a broad loom, Akwete is usually about 1,200 millimeters wide. It is produced in attractive designs and rich colors.
There is also the "Aso-Oke" woven on narrow looms notably at lseyin in Oyo State, the Ebira weaving at Okene, Kogi State

Painting
Apart from such crafts as bronze-casting, wood carving, leather work, pottery and weaving, a form of artistic expression that has quietly gained a stronghold but has not been given its due recognition in Nigeria is painting. As a medium of artistic expression, painting is not completely new in the country. The two groups of rock paintings in Kano and Bauchi are the most important yet found in the country, the Bimin Kudu cattle paintings and symbolic drawings show affinity to some Saharan paintings.
The coloring of masks monochromatically or polychromatic ally is also a form of painting that has been in existence in Nigeria for as long as the festivals and ceremonies for which such objects were made. Body paintings and decorations for ceremonial rites and festivals are also a common practice in many parts of the country. The designs and decoration used in body-painting possess esoteric connotations and the human body so painted at times in varied colors, visually becomes a really beautiful "living art piece".
Another form of artistic expression closely akin to painting that has been in practice in the country for a long time is the multicolored decoration of the inner and outer walls of houses with beautiful and elaborate symbols and designs. Some of such designs have their origin in the Islamic influence on Nigerian culture and are popular in the northern parts of the country.

National Council for Arts and Culture
The National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) was established by Decree No. 3 of 1975 after the dissolution of the former Nigerian Arts Council. It started operations in 1976 with the constitution of its Governing Council and the appointment of a Secretary and other supportive staff. The NCAC is a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture. The Council was set up to coordinate, promote and foster the appreciation, revival and development of Nigerian arts and culture among others

The National Theatre
The imposing National Theatre overlooking the Eko Bridge and standing 31 meters above ground level was built by the Federal Government in 1976. It is under the management of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture. It covers an area of 23,000 square meters and its graduation of forms and contours, its proportions and radial development, give it characteristic deep shades and contrasts, which form a befitting monument to the role it plays.
The theatre complex comprises a main hall capable of seating approximately 5,000 spectators; a conference hall with 1,500 seats, and two cinema halls with a sitting capacity of 800 each. There is also a V.I.P. complex which also includes a reception hall for the Head of State. Other facilities include a press complex, dressing rooms and cubicles for performers and contestants, translators, a fully furnished kitchen and fire alarm system. Telephone and telex systems link the whole complex with the outside world. Delegates to international conferences can tune in to any of the six languages transmitted.