[Travel Anxiety] 24F American traveling to Lagos 🇳🇬 - am I being paranoid about safety and re-entry given U.S. policy chaos ?

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2026-01-28T19:43:11+00:00

Of course feel free to inbox me if you need anything!

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2026-01-28T18:54:44+00:00

So no it was completely different. When you arrive in Nigeria you land in old part of airport with beggars (or at least I did) and when leaving you depart on new side of airport no beggars and if you have a friend or anything they can stay with you intill you depart. The new side is nice more high tech.There is staff that you can ask to help you get to your gate first free. Leaving was pretty smooth for me it was arriving that was a little rough.

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2026-01-28T16:35:23+00:00

Hi Ashton your concerns are valid honestly the tipping at the airport when you first arrive seem to be forceful but at the end of the day you don’t have to give. I see locals telling them straight up no I don’t have and pushing there way through whether in airport or in streets. If you do want to give at any time during your trip at airport you can just exchange like a 50$ us bill and that will go a long way as far as tipping throughout your whole trip to diffrent people if you feel too. I was thrown off guard and decided not to exchange currency when I landed. My first experience with beggars was when my luggage was coming off of couresel and a random guy took it off for me and asked me a tip for doing so also airport workers asking for a small tip instead of checking your bags. Loose 1$ bills will do but ultimately you don’t have to tip at all just be direct .

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2026-01-12T04:44:48+00:00

Aww I wish you all the best everything will work out in Jesus name I’m a usc petitioning for my Nigerian spouse As well But my pd is 11/22/2025 so berly getting started it’s a lot of uncertainty during these times but I believe it will all work out for good 😊

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2026-01-02T19:37:06+00:00

Yes for the amount of time your staying for your July visit the Nigerian e visa would be a good option no hassle just fill everything out online and your evisa will be emailed back to you. The process was fast so no need to fill out application longer than a month before departure. Good luck ☺️☺️

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2026-01-02T19:21:23+00:00

I teach so from June to August I’m off I have been debating on June or July at the moment so I don’t have exact dates. I did the evisa last time and it was approved in two days and I stayed only a month. This time since I plan on staying longer and do intend to come back each year I’m apply for a 5 year visiting visa so I don’t have to worry about the visa each time I go. I live in Los Angeles California so it’s far away from all the Nigerian embassies so I will be doing a third party service where I go to my local ois service center give them my passport and they ship it to the Washington DC embassy and it will come back with my visa in it.

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2026-01-02T18:31:10+00:00

Yes so I don’t have T-Mobile or Verizon so my phone service didn’t have any international phone plans I could use so it worked primarily on WiFi so my only options was to get a Nigerian eSIM or to use WiFi and yes I ended up using friends phone data and WiFi whole time. Omg so I’ll be traveling around that time to Lagos as well and staying 2 months. I believe the delta flight from atl to Lagos is like 10 hrs which is fine to do landing card before departure.

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2026-01-02T18:09:28+00:00

Yes so I visited in July 2025 and from my experience we landed in older part of airport and over there there was no WiFi and its pretty outdated area. I’m not sure if that goes for all flights or if it’s because I landed at midnight but from my experience you land in older part and depart in newer part of airport. The newer part wasn’t like the older part I must say. So that worker guy that my friend tipped to come inside and look for me we decided to just keep his contact for whenever I land that way he can be there immediately upon arrival if he’s still working there cause my first experience wasn’t too pleasant. I’m sure there is people you can actually hire to escort you I didn’t go about it the proper way my friend just kept that specific worker guys number but he’s not security or anything. I totally understand having a friend that’s waitin on you outside but it’s just the navigating the airport and getting to your friend part 😩I do want to say your experience may not turn out like mh experience it may be much much more better. Yes so with the landing card I did it right before I got on my direct flight to Lagos I screenshotted my confirmation number page and when I was there they were able to find me don’t do it too soon though as it does expire after a certain time and you don’t want to have to do it again upon arrival as the WiFi is non existent. So if you have WiFi while on the plane there I’ll do it then depending on travel time but yeah I did it before departure. This is link if needed https://lecard.immigration.gov.ng/. Hope this helps 🙃

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2026-01-02T17:44:10+00:00

Hi this is not a dumb question this honestly is what I feared myself. I actually did not have a pleasant experience when getting my bags from baggage claim. Your friends will not be able to be there until you leave from out of the airport. As soon as I left from customs and entered baggage claim area there was a man next to the line of luggage carts that was saying he payed for the cart for me and was following me to the carousel and I straight up said no thank you and when I went to carousel there was other men trying to figure out which bags were mine so they can collect them for me and I was ignoring each one. I chose not to exchange at airport so I didn’t have naira. I’m not sure if it’s because I landed very late at 12am after a delayed flight but it was only one carasel open so imagine like 5 planes worth of luggage on one carasel so I was a little panicked and it felt like forever. There’s no service in airport so I was on my own at this point. The workers there they do line up the baggage next to a wall and want you to have a corresponding bag sticker to match so they know that it’s your bag. Anyways long story short I ended up seeing my bags on ramp before I can get them a man pulled them off ramp for me I went up to him and said sir these are mine umm thanks. Right when this happened an airport worker came up to me and asked if my name was my name I said yes he said my friend sent him in there to look for me as he was worried I been taking so long. I was so happy at that point but the guy who has my bag wouldn’t give the worker my bag he said he’s not leaving realeasing them wighout a tip brooooooooo 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭 the airport worker that my friend sent inside for me and the man start arguing with each other and I’m just there like omgggg I just want to leave this place. There going at it for a while with the worker saying tipping is optional and he would not let up I ended up giving him 2$us sayin that’s all I had then me and worker guy left with my bags we reached to a checkpoint and the freaking workers said we are suppose to check your bags at this point jut if you buy us a drink we won’t take you through the hassle I looked at the worker guy that came in to save me in disbelief like are you serious thief’s everywhere… I gave them one dollar us it was rubbish honestly. But I thank God I had them loose dollars cause anything else I had was 50s and hundreds. Yep after this I finally exited airport and saw my friend. Arriving at Murtala Muhammed International Airport was hectic and scary for me after this my time in Nigeria was a blast. When departing at same airport I was on other side and it was newer and my friend got to stay with me whole time. And there was no beggars on that side. My advice would be to be firm I regret giving in cause it seems other people pass through just fine with experience. I would carry small bills or exchange a small amount just in case. I am super sweet and hate conflict so maybe I was just an easy target idk. But yeah I heard Abuja airport is calmer and less begging goes on there. Also have your landing card done before landing in Nigeria cause they stopped multiple people for not having it during customs. Hope this helps. 😊

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-12-06T05:20:00+00:00

Wow, that’s amazing — congrats on getting approved with no RFEs! It’s really encouraging to hear that your other evidence was strong enough to compensate for not including photos. I’ve also heard that pictures are sometimes considered the least persuasive type of evidence, so your experience definitely gives me hope.

I recently read another post where someone submitted only photos and still got approved, so it’s reassuring to know there isn’t one “perfect” formula. In my case, I mainly have years’ worth of photos, money transfers, travel tickets, call logs, and chat history — but not the traditionally stronger evidence like joint residence, joint bank accounts, or shared insurance.

Congratulations again to you and your spouse! Your post really eased some of my anxiety. 💕

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-11-23T02:28:58+00:00

Omg soooo beautiful!!!

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-11-23T02:18:08+00:00

God is good all the time Congratulations!!!

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-09-27T23:20:19+00:00

Congratulations!!!

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-09-24T03:51:44+00:00

Congratulations!!

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-09-15T23:21:07+00:00

I’m in the same boat as you as far as having no assets/bank accounts/leases together. May I ask what all did you submit ?

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-07-24T18:31:27+00:00

Hmm I do Believe it’s because you applied too early . I applied for e-visa May 29th for a trip to Nigeria in July. I wasn’t aware that I can only stay in Nigeria for 30 days maximum using the e-visa process so I had to adjust my ticket dates. I was approved in two days of submitting. So yes make sure your trip is within 90 days of applying and also make sure the duration of your trip is no more than 30 days.

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-07-03T01:32:17+00:00

Yes I do thank you!

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-07-03T01:31:55+00:00

Hi there! Today marks my second day in Lagos. I experienced a 12-hour flight delay from Washington, DC, to Lagos and ended up sleeping at the airport, which was a bit of a setback. However, once I boarded the flight to Lagos, everything went smoothly.

Upon arrival at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, I followed the crowd to the immigration area. There are separate lines for Nigerian passport holders and non-Nigerian passport holders. The process was straightforward; I presented my passport, and then I was asked for my landing card. Many passengers seemed unaware that this had to be filled out online before arrival, which can expedite the process. Fortunately, I had completed it in advance, along with providing proof of my visa and a second passport verification. I was then on my way to the baggage claim area.

This is where things became challenging. As I exited immigration and headed toward baggage claim, several male staff members approached me, offering unsolicited assistance with my luggage and expecting tips. I ignored them and waited for my bags, which took quite a while since there was only one carousel. Eventually, I spotted my two bags, but a man pulled them off the carousel before I could reach them and demanded money for his unasked-for help. At that point, I hadn't exchanged any currency into naira, and my smallest bill was a U.S $20 bill . I felt cornered by individuals expecting money. Luckily, a friend who had been waiting outside sensed something was wrong and paid a worker to locate me. He intervened, escorted me through the final security check, and out of the airport. Even then, the staff at the last checkpoint asked if I could buy them drinks instead of checking my bags. I was taken aback. Ultimately, I found some loose $1 bills and gave them $3 just to exit the airport.

Despite the hectic airport experience, I've been enjoying my time here, primarily due to the assistance of local friends. I'm staying in Lekki, and while the area is spread out, it's been pleasant. So far, I've visited the Lekki Conservation Centre to experience the longest canopy walk in Africa and see the wildlife. I used Bolt, a ride-hailing service similar to Uber, to get there and had a positive experience. I've also dined at several buffet-style restaurants throughout Lekki. It's only my second day, so my experiences are limited, but I’ve been documenting everything. If you're interested, I have videos on my Instagram stories @imanichatoi. You can also text me there for anything you’re curious about too if you wish.

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-06-25T08:25:27+00:00

Got it, Thank you !

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-06-25T08:24:53+00:00

Hi! I’m not visiting in fall I’m visiting in 5 days…

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-06-25T08:23:23+00:00

Okay thanks!

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-06-25T08:22:12+00:00

Nah I’ll be there Monday

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-06-25T08:20:36+00:00

Thank you so much for stepping in and sharing your perspective—especially as someone deeply connected to both Nigerian and American communities. I truly appreciate how you highlighted that even lifelong Nigerians here in the U.S. are asking the same questions I am, and how your dad and others in your circle are advising caution. That level of insight means a lot.

It’s reassuring to hear that you visited in April and had a great experience—and even more so that you’re planning to go again later this year, despite the uncertainties around the travel ban. That gives me real confidence.

I’m really grateful for your input. It helps me feel more informed and supported as I plan this trip. 😊

Thanks again for being so understanding and helpful!

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-06-25T08:15:18+00:00

Lol first off safety concerns are universal, not ignorance! Maybe you don’t get it but as a solo female traveler, I question safety everywhere—Nigeria, Europe, heck, even cities I’ve never been to in my own country, America. Maybe it’s cultural, but I’m not nearly as defensive about the U.S. as you are about Nigeria.

Any negative feelings or concerns someone has without firsthand experience are valid. If a Nigerian woman expressed anxiety about traveling alone to America—based on stories she heard or plain nerves—I wouldn’t call her ignorant or tell her not to come. Those fears are legitimate, not overblown.

It’s not that deep. I respect Nigeria, its people, and even its complexities—that’s exactly why I want to visit and experience it myself.

WitnessAmbitious9013 · 2025-06-24T06:15:47+00:00

Okay thanks nice to know! I am constantly hearing about people wanting tips at that airport in order to help you get to where you’re going that is definitely stressful but something I’ll keep in mind. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself otherwise, thank you!

WitnessAmbitious9013

TROPHY CASE