lagos
introduction
The following pictures and information are provided to help employees who are considering an assignment in Nigeria to see what it is like to work and live in Nigeria.
Lagos, formerly the capital of Nigeria, is the largest city in the country with a population of around 9 million. In addition to the oil industry, other businesses that fuel the economy include motor vehicle assembly, food processing, metal manufacturing, textile production and chemical manufacturing. Lagos is a road and rail terminus and has an international airport. The country of Nigeria is one of the world's largest oil exporters. Oil accounts for over 90% of foreign exchange earnings.
Lagos is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It is a metropolitan area which originated on islands separated by creeks. Lagos Island, situated at the southwest mouth of Lagos Lagoon, is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by long sand spits such as Bar Beach, which stretch up to 100 km east and west of the Lagoon. The weather is generally hot throughout the year, with two seasons: the wet season and the dry season. The dry season begins in November and lasts until March. The rainy season typically runs from April to October each year.
The average temperature in Lagos ranges from 25 °C to 28 °C.
English is the official language of Nigeria. The dominant local languages are Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. There are over 400 ethnic groups in the country. Each has its own dialect.
Lagos, formerly the capital of Nigeria, is the largest city in the country with a population of around 9 million. In addition to the oil industry, other businesses that fuel the economy include motor vehicle assembly, food processing, metal manufacturing, textile production and chemical manufacturing. Lagos is a road and rail terminus and has an international airport. The country of Nigeria is one of the world's largest oil exporters. Oil accounts for over 90% of foreign exchange earnings.
Lagos is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It is a metropolitan area which originated on islands separated by creeks. Lagos Island, situated at the southwest mouth of Lagos Lagoon, is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by long sand spits such as Bar Beach, which stretch up to 100 km east and west of the Lagoon. The weather is generally hot throughout the year, with two seasons: the wet season and the dry season. The dry season begins in November and lasts until March. The rainy season typically runs from April to October each year.
The average temperature in Lagos ranges from 25 °C to 28 °C.
English is the official language of Nigeria. The dominant local languages are Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. There are over 400 ethnic groups in the country. Each has its own dialect.
Chevron has been in operation in Nigeria for over 50 years. The headquarters is located on Lekki peninsula in Lagos. Other areas of operations are; Delta State, Rivers State, Bayesla State, Imo and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The northern half of Nigeria is predominantly Muslim and the southern half is predominantly Christian. Abuja (located 325 miles northeast of the Chevron Estate on the Lekki peninsula of Lagos) is the current capital of Nigeria. Political protests and conflicts typically occur in or near Abuja. Religious conflicts usually take place in the northern part of the country, even further north from Abuja, near the northern border.
All of the oil production in Nigeria occurs over 200 miles southeast of Lagos in the states of Delta and Bayelsa.
All of the oil production in Nigeria occurs over 200 miles southeast of Lagos in the states of Delta and Bayelsa.
main airports
Lagos is the point of entry for Chevron employees and families to Nigeria. There are other airports in Kano, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Enugu, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Ilorin, Jos, Owerri, Calabar, Yola, and Sokoto that may be used for business travel within the country.A divided 6 lane toll road links the Chevron estate to main shopping and entertainment venues in the area. You can access just about everything within a 20 minute drive unless there is heavy traffic.
energy
The Chevron Estate is powered by locally available electricity and is complemented by a Chevron owned generation station dedicated to the estate. The electrical outlets are mostly 220 volts but all Chevron estate houses have some 110 volt plugs, typically in the kitchen and the family room.work environment
The Chevron Lekki Office Complex is located on the Lekki – Ajah expressway, east of Lagos and about a 20 minute drive from Victoria Island where the schools and much of the shopping and dining is located. Most of the office workers report to the main office buildings that are located inside the Chevron estate. A few employees work off-site, either in a nearby hotel complex or Victoria Island (such as some of the NOJV activity and special projects). In total, the Lekki office complex hosts approximately 1,500 employees.
Amenities available at the Lekki office complex include the cafeteria, which has the capacity to seat more than 1,000 employees at a time. It is also often used for major events and town halls. The cafeteria at Lekki serves company provided meals, for both lunch and dinner, with a variety of national and continental menus. Many expatriates choose to walk home for lunch. Meals are complimentary for all employees.
Offices are typically a combination of open plan cubicles and closed door offices which are sometimes shared. The office atmosphere is friendly but business with a relaxed dress code on Fridays that allows for diversity in dressing in national and casual attire.
housing
The Lekki Housing Estate, where the majority of Chevron resident expatriates live (along with 1-2 national managers), currently consists of 127 housing units and a host of other recreation amenities listed in the recreation section below.
There are single family homes, duplexes and triplexes. Residents on assignment in Nigeria are allocated and assigned houses based on a number of criteria including family size and housing availability. The company provides temporary furniture for use by the residents until their initial shipments arrive. The types of furniture usually provided include a couch, bed and bedding, window blinds, carpets, as well as appliances.
Incoming expatriates are also provided with pots, pans, utensils, mugs, glasses and linens as a settling-in kit until their shipment arrives. The settling-in kit will also include food. Chevron provides housekeeping service for a period of one week after the move in date. Thereafter the incoming resident can choose to employ the services of a permanent housekeeper.
The entire estate is well secured with adequate measures such as CCTV monitoring, perimeter fencing, controlled access and frequent patrols. All houses are equipped with a CTN phone line which can receive phone calls through the Chevron Tie Line (925) 842-1111. Expatriates can also use this phone line to make local calls and outgoing international phone calls.
Expatriates typically consider the Chevron estate so secure that they allow their children to roam about the estate unsupervised (on foot, on bikes, on scooters), from house to house and to recreation facilities. This promotes a strong sense of connectedness and community among the estate residents. The swimming pool access is fenced to prevent unaccompanied children from attempting to swim without supervision.
There are single family homes, duplexes and triplexes. Residents on assignment in Nigeria are allocated and assigned houses based on a number of criteria including family size and housing availability. The company provides temporary furniture for use by the residents until their initial shipments arrive. The types of furniture usually provided include a couch, bed and bedding, window blinds, carpets, as well as appliances.
Incoming expatriates are also provided with pots, pans, utensils, mugs, glasses and linens as a settling-in kit until their shipment arrives. The settling-in kit will also include food. Chevron provides housekeeping service for a period of one week after the move in date. Thereafter the incoming resident can choose to employ the services of a permanent housekeeper.
The entire estate is well secured with adequate measures such as CCTV monitoring, perimeter fencing, controlled access and frequent patrols. All houses are equipped with a CTN phone line which can receive phone calls through the Chevron Tie Line (925) 842-1111. Expatriates can also use this phone line to make local calls and outgoing international phone calls.
Expatriates typically consider the Chevron estate so secure that they allow their children to roam about the estate unsupervised (on foot, on bikes, on scooters), from house to house and to recreation facilities. This promotes a strong sense of connectedness and community among the estate residents. The swimming pool access is fenced to prevent unaccompanied children from attempting to swim without supervision.
support services
medical
Chevron Medical division has clinics for primary health care and provides high quality health care to employees and their families.
Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) currently provides medical services to employees, spouses and their dependents primarily through their medical facilities in Lagos (Lekki Hospital, Gbagada Hospital), Warri, and Port Harcourt.
The Escravos clinic is available for workers in that location. In Abuja, employees and families can access one of two designated external hospitals.
The Lekki Clinic is co-located within the Chevron headquarters and the residential estate in Lagos. The facilities are designed to address acute medical emergencies. However, it does not cover all specialties. The Gbagada Hospital (about 20km away) provides more comprehensive care.
Across locations, services include:
- outpatient clinics.
- in patient (admission) services.
- emergency care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In unusual cases where an employee is unable to access CNL medical facilities the person(s) can obtain care at designated health facilities for up to 24 hours.
Specialty care varies from location to location and includes pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics & gynecology, general surgery and orthopedics, occupational health and physiotherapy. Persons requiring dental, ophthalmology (eye), ENT (ear, nose and throat) and dermatology (skin) care are referred to Chevron approved medical providers. In addition, patients may be referred to external facilities for specialized care.
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) (intranet access) is available to employees and their families. EAP is a confidential consulting service that can provide counseling on a broad range of personal, family and work-related challenges.
education
Education is available from pre-school through high school. The following schools are the most popular and are highly rated by expats and Chevron employees.
American International School of Lagos
Children's International School
The British International School, Lagos is also a Chevron-approved school for ages five and above.
view slideshows about lagos so you can know what to expect in the following categories:
shopping
There is a large supermarket located within a 10 minute drive (not walking distance) from the estate. It has fresh produce, frozen foods and a wide variety of grocery products. There are many other supermarkets on Victoria Island with a large selection of both local and imported groceries as well as other goods. There is a shopping mall containing boutiques, a movie theatre and a food court. A variety of stores in the area offer electronics, home furnishings, video games, baby gear and other products. Lekki Market offers local crafts and artwork.
transportation
All Chevron expatriates and their families are provided with a car and select their own driver, who is then medically screened and background checked. They can select a driver, who will then be medically screened and have a background check conducted. Expatriates do drive their cars around the Chevron Estate and offices but are advised to utilize a driver when travelling outside of the Chevron Estate. Chevron provides security escorts for evening outings on request.
recreational and entertainment
There is a variety of high quality ethnic restaurants available in the Victoria Island area, about 20 minute drive from the camp. Options include Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Lebanese, Thai and Mexican restaurants. There are also some very good steak houses. Some of the restaurants are set up with terraces and often host live music during dining hours. There are also bars and nightclubs which are popular with Chevron expatriates.
Expatriates often purchase memberships in one of the local golf clubs: Ikoyi Golf Club and Lakowe Golf Club. Both have indoor and outdoor driving ranges and large fairways.
Favorite destinations for vacations include many European and African countries as well as Dubai. There are direct flights available from Lagos to most of these areas.
Expatriates often purchase memberships in one of the local golf clubs: Ikoyi Golf Club and Lakowe Golf Club. Both have indoor and outdoor driving ranges and large fairways.
Favorite destinations for vacations include many European and African countries as well as Dubai. There are direct flights available from Lagos to most of these areas.
additional information
From the Chevron estate, expatriates can ride a Chevron supplied bus to attend a nearby Catholic church. Other residents attend a local expatriate non-denominational church called New Beginnings. A Chevron bus is also provided. New Beginnings is very active in the community, offering a variety of volunteer activities, a Sunday school program, a women's group, fellowship groups, and pot luck dinners. Some of these activities are hosted on the estate.
There are a variety of other options which include mosques and a Mormon church.
Numerous charity opportunities are also available for residents and accompanying spouses, for instance weekly visit to the Motherless Babies Home which is usually coordinated by an expatriate volunteer team.
There are a variety of other options which include mosques and a Mormon church.
Numerous charity opportunities are also available for residents and accompanying spouses, for instance weekly visit to the Motherless Babies Home which is usually coordinated by an expatriate volunteer team.