Currency & Cash

Q: What is the currency in Nigeria?

A: The local currency here is Naira. 100 Kobo equaling 1 Naira.

Q: Can I hold a bank account in Nigeria?

A: You can and you may.

Q: Can I change hard currency?

A: Money changers and banks will exchange most major foreign currencies. Expect to get better exchange rates on the most widely used currencies. These are US Dollars, UK Pounds and Euros.

When changing UK Pounds, do note that people are usually only willing to exchange Bank of England notes so do check your pockets before you leave with notes issued in the UK by any other bank. These include all Scottish notes. You will eventually find someone to take them but expect the rate to be lower.

Black Market rates are usually a better deal so ask around for the best place to use.  You will often find money changer outside major hotels.

Q: How do I get money into Nigeria?

A: Ask your bank back home if they will transfer funds into a Nigerian bank. Do expect the banks here to issue your funds in local currency only. You can also send cash via Western Union.

A lot of companies will offer cash advances on your salary in Naira. This stops the need to bring in large quantities of cash each time you travel.

Ask your company before you travel if this will be available to you.

ATMs and cashless transactions using your credit or debit card are now very common.  However – some machines and venues will struggle to process payments depending on your home bank

Q: Can I use my credit cards?

A: You can but we don’t always recommend it. Credit card fraud is huge here.

If you do use your card here be sure and check your next statements closely for any unauthorized transactions.

Also, check with your card company before you come in. We do know that some issuers will routinely cancel their cards after only 1 Nigerian transaction is recorded.

We’d hate to see you stuck here with no funds or land back in Europe or the US only to discover that your card has died and you can’t even buy a coffee

Help keep Oyibos OnLine independent. If you value our services any contribution towards our costs will be greatly appreciated.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.