AIESEC in Nigeria EXCHANGE RECEPTION BOOKLET

RECEPTION Booklet

Dear intern, Congratulations on choosing Nigeria as your internship destination!!!

You are about to embark on an adventure in the most populous country in Africa with more than 250 ethnic groups.

We are also home to Nollywood which is currently ranked as the second largest film industry in the world.

The longest bridge in Africa among many other things are found here.

We look forward to learning from you as we hopefully help you learn more about yourself.

In order to make your experience better please read this booklet which has been created exclusively to cater to your needs.

We hope it helps you have an amazing time in your new cultural experience.

The information provided might not be complete so we recommend that you read up more about Nigeria from guidebooks, website or the embassy website before coming.

Best of luck in your preparation. We look forward to having you here!

Regards, AIESEC in Nigeria nigeria@aiesec.net

-01.

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-01 .

00. Introd uct Con ion. ten 01. ts.

We lco me 02.

Not Brie e. f fa cts abo 03. ut N Det aile ige ria. d 04.

Hist or y.

Ma po f NI 05.

GER Cul IA. tura l Hig hlig hts.

Contents

07. Tourist Destinations.

08. Foods/Delicacies.

09. List of Local Committees.

10. Prices & Exchange rates.

11. Souvenirs.

12. Reception.

00.

Welcome to Nigeria - the pride of Africa.

A nation rich in culture and beautiful diversity: Our wonderful hospitality, cuisine, tourist destinations and most especially our peculiarly beautiful and happy people, will leave you already planning for a second experience.

www.aiesecnigeria.org

01.

Some

FACTS About

NIGERIA Land of seamless UNITY in boundless DIVERSITY Date of independence: Oct. 1st 1960 President: Ebele Goodluck Jonathan Population: over 160,000,000 Capital: Abuja Area(/km): 923,768 Currency: Naira ( N ( Official Language: English Major Tribes: Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba Religion: Christianity & Islam 36 States Culturally diverse(with over 250 Ethnic Groups) Largest Producers of Crude Oil One of the oldest locations of human existence Largest Diversity of Butterflies

02.

NIGERIA

The Land, the People, the Culture.

Nigeria, is a country located on the western coast of Africa. Nigeria has a diverse geography, with climates ranging from arid to humid equatorial.

Hundreds of languages are spoken in the country, including Yoruba, Igbo, Fulani,Hausa, Edo, Ibibio, Tiv, and English.

The country has abundant natural resources, notably large deposits of petroleum and natural gas.

The national capital is Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory, which was created by decree in 1976. Lagos, the former capital, retains its standing as the country's leading commercial and industrial city.

Modern Nigeria dates from 1914, when the British Protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria were joined. The country became independent on Oct. 1, 1960, and in 1963 adopted a republican constitution but elected to stay a member of the Commonwealth.

Nigeria is bordered to the north by Niger, to the east by Chad and Cameroon, to the south by the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west by Benin.

The major drainage areas in Nigeria are the Niger-Benue basin, the Lake Chad basin, and the Gulf of Guinea basin. The Niger River, for which the country is named, and the Benue, its largest tributary, are the principal rivers.

The Niger has many rapids and waterfalls, but the Benue is not interrupted by either and is navigable throughout its length, except during the dry season.

Rivers draining the area north of the Niger-Benue trough include the Sokoto, the Kaduna, the Gongola, and the rivers draining into Lake Chad. The coastal areas are drained by short rivers that flow into the Gulf of Guinea.

River basin development projects have created many large man-made lakes, including Lake Kainji on the Niger and Lake Bakolori on the Rima River.

The Niger delta is a vast low-lying region through which the waters of the Niger River drain into the Gulf of Guinea. Characteristic landforms in this region include oxbow lakes, river meander belts, and prominent levees.

Large freshwater swamps give way to brackish mangrove thickets near the seacoast.

Nigeria has a tropical climate with variable rainy and dry seasons, depending on location.

It is hot and wet most of the year in the southeast but dry in the southwest and farther inland.

A savanna climate, with marked wet and dry seasons, prevails in the north and west, while a steppe climate with little precipitation is found in the far north.

In general, the length of the rainy season decreases from south to north.

03.

Map of

NIGERIA

04.

.

se r e v i ch, d

. .

E R U CULT

ect is p s e r f A lot o . d e t title. c e s n p s o s e r r e highly gap n e i r s a u t n e o traditi to gre d d n e roups. t a g c e e c i g p n x a h e ciety, nd et ne is o a o s s d n e n a b i i a r r t r In Nige ect to n elde p a s o e t r h d it e accord etings differ w re These g

i r , l u f i

t u a e ur B

O

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their

l a v i n r holds l a a v i C n r ar er, r ful ca

t colou er y Decemb s o m Calab ev and alabar iggest fC sb Africa’ autiful city o son. be e sea d i t in the e l u the y during

05.

Argun gu Fis

hing F This is a culmin estiva the no a l rth-wes tion of a fou tern Nig r day c Started ultu eria in the for 1934, it is us n State of K ral event in m e e Argung er Sokoto Ca d to mark pe bbi. u in Ke ace b li e bi King phate and t he peo tween dom. ple of

N

gods

ew Ya This is a m Fes n annu al cere at the tival en m Traditio d of the rain ony of the IG y na B per form lly, the role season in ea O people he of rly ld ed by the kin the old eating the fir August. g(Igwe st est ma ). n in the yam is comm unity, o r

, deit

It is a c o is attrib mmon belie u f creatio ted to some in some Nig er n c lives to stor y. It is b ertain gods ian Societie e st d a li pheno ay and som eved that th nd deities. E hat the orig in of th e are ese de ach trib meno attribu ns. Som e hum it of thun e ie h s a p ted to s their lay a r an rac e of th der, Ib own v ole in some e ese de eji (twin of ven e o n rsion o ur atural geanc ities in g o d f s f o clude the o e It is als - Sang rces and o belie and justice f youth and o ) v . ve (god becom itality), Ofara e “anc d that some ( make god dead period estors� who protec elders who ic offe d t rings a s appr their offsprin ie go on to eciatio gs, wh o n and revere in turn nce.

ies &

fore f

ather s

06.

Some Tourist Destinations Obudu Cattle Ranch

Located in Cross River State towards the Nigerian-Cameroun border in the South-East, the ranch is over 1,524m and has a temperate weather condition to ensure good vegetation and grazing for cattle round the year.

Igbo-Ukwu

Igbo-Ukwu is an ancient town popular for its bronze artifacts. They were firs discovered by British Archaeologist Thurstan Shaw.

The bronze date back to the 9th century.

Erin Ijesa Waterfalls

Located in Osun State, it is a natural waterfall arena amidst high rocks which has seven levels with different waterfall levels.

Arochukwu Long Juju Shrine

This famous shrine is located in a cave. The cave is believed to hold the long metal pipe with which the gods speak to the people.

Oguta Lake Holiday Park

The holiday complex is a lake of fresh water and is the second largest of its kind in the country after the Lake Chad. the complex houses a golf course, recreational park, and the Natural confluence of OgutaLake and Urashi River.

Nok Village

The home of the oldest form of civilization found on African soil, the Nok culture still exists today, and possesses in no small measure, the art and beauty of its over 2,500 years past.

07.

Some Nigerian Delicacies Egusi

Ewedu

Soup

Oha So

up

& Ama la Tuwo

Afang

Soup

Okra S

oup

08.

Lc’s in Nigeria

Abeokuta

Abuja Benin Benue

Enugu

Calabar Ibadan Ile-Ife

Illorin Lagos

Jos Kano

Zaria

Port Harcourt

09.

Prices, Commodities & Exchange rates.

$1= N 160

*As at August 2014

Bottle of water Bottle of Coke A plate of Food A Loaf of bread Movie Tickets Transportation

N 50 N 70 N 500 N 200 N 1000 Varies

*Some of these things vary depending on location. You can always haggle over prices.

There are little differences between the exchange rates in banks and in private exchange houses.

It is advisable to change in banks as they are more efficient.

10.

Miscallenaeous

Some of the things youl’ll be expected to bring include: Souvenirs from your Country Your National Flag.

Health Due to the humid climate, you may encounter mosquitoes (the chief carriers of Malaria parasite).

11.

Reception

12.

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You’ll be glad you came... www.aiesecnigeria.org