Abuja is a huge city divided into many districts. Unfortunately, the number of districts depends on who you ask so it’s unclear, but the city was developed in Phases.
- Phase 1 was the first area to be developed and is immediately adjacent to Aso Rock. Phase one includes Wuse, Maitama, Asokoro, Garki and the Central Business Districts.
- Phase 2 cocoons Phase 1 to the west and is partially developed. Phase 2 includes Jabi, which is a popular place for foreigners to live and includes Jabi Lake Mall.
- Phase 3 only has one district so far and is even further west.
Getting to Abuja
At the time of writing (June 2022), you can fly directly to Abuja from:
- London with British Airways
- Istanbul with Turkish
- Addis Ababa with Ethiopian
- Doha with Qatar
- Dubai with Emirates
- Frankfurt with Lufthansa
- Cairo with Egypt Air
- Paris with Air France
- Etc
Because Abuja airport operates 24/7, many of these airlines choose to fly in and out at night. British Airways operates a night flight to Abuja, whilst Air France, Turkish, Lufthansa, and others operates night flights from Abuja. Therefore, if you want to avoid night flying, one option is to fly to abuja with Lufthansa and back with British Airways.
There are of course buses that arrive in Abuja from other parts of Nigeria but most foreigners are likely to arrive by plane.
Arriving in Abuja
Abuja airport is around 30/40 km to the Southeast of Abuja (depending on where you start) and so it takes around 30 to 45 minutes to get from the airport into the city.
There are plenty of taxis at the airport but taxis are not always safe (see section on getting around in Abuja) and so it’s highly recommended to organise a transfer before you arrive.
The airport itself can be a little confusing on arrival because there are no signs to the main exit. If in doubt, always ask an airport official rather than a random person.
Getting around Abuja
Uber and Bolt both work in Abuja.
Uber is slightly more expensive and considered slightly more reliable. It works with the credit card that you have saved in your home country, which can be useful especially when you first arrive. Uber journeys start at 500 Naira and a single journey rarely costs more than 1200. Uber also offer hourly journeys, where you take a driver for a number of hours and he or she (there are some female drivers in Abuja) wait for you whilst you do your shopping or whatever.
If you’re staying for any period of time, you should consider either buying a car or hiring someone to be your private driver. Most Uber drivers would probably be quite happy to work for you full time for around 80,000 – 100,000 Naira per week (see here for Naira exchange rates).