Enugu
Enugu is the capital of Enugu State in Southeast Nigeria. Enugu is one of the filming locations for directors of the Nigerian movie industry, dubbed "Nollywood".
Understand
editThe name Enugu is derived from the Igbo words "Hill top". It is nicknamed Coal City mainly because of the discovery of coal on the plateau of the city in 1909 . Enugu developed rapidly as a result of the completion of the railway from the port in 1916. Enugu is located at the foot of the Udi Plateau. The area is on the railway from Port Harcourt, some 150 miles (240 km) south-southwest, and at the junction of roads from Onitsha, Aba and Abakaliki.
Industries in the city include the urban market and bottling industries.
Architectural design in Enugu's early years was in the hands of the British colonial administration; Enugu's architecture was consequently very European. English cottage housing and Victorian houses were used for housing Europeans and Nigerian colonial civil servants in the early 20th century until Europeans started trying to adapt their architecture to the tropical climate. Some other examples of these European styles are visible in churches of the colonial era, such as the Holy Ghost Cathedral with its Greco-Roman stained glass windows depicting Europeans.
In 1967, Enugu was declared the capital of the short-lived Republic of Biafra; for this Enugu is known as the "capital of Igboland".
Climate
editEnugu sits in a tropical rain forest zone with a tropical savanna climate. Enugu's climate is humid, and this humidity is at its highest between March and November. The Harmattan, a dusty trade wind, lasts a few weeks of December and January. Like the rest of Nigeria, Enugu is hot all year round.
Get in
edit- 1 Akanu Ibiam International Airport (ENU IATA). The main airport in the state. Flights from Lagos, Abuja, and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). It can be accessed by buses and taxis.
Get around
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The main forms of transportation in the city are taxi cabs and buses. Most transport enters and leaves the city through Enugu's Ogbete Motor Park, Garki Motor Park serves as a transport pick-up point as well. Unregistered taxis are known as Kabu Kabu and are differentiated with registered ones through the lack of yellow paint on the unregistered vehicles.
Coal City Cabs, which began to help in the eradication of poverty in the city, employ 400 registered Nissan Sunny and Suzuki taxis.
Coal City Shuttle buses run as public transport for Enugu urban.
See
edit- 1 Udi Hills. It is a great viewpoint from which you can see large parts of Enugu city.
- The Polo amusement park is a funfair that is among the first generation of public parks in the city.
- Enugu's former coal mines, Onyeama and Okpara, are open to public visits.
- 2 Enugu Zoo Wonderland, Akwuke Beach. This is another attraction in the city. It is divided into the botanical garden and the zoological section.
- There is a National Museum north of Enugu, although it receives few visitors. It is managed by National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM).
- Michael Okpara Square.
Do
edit- Two important Igbo traditional festivals take place in Enugu annually; the Mmanwu festival and the New yam festival. The Mmanwu festival takes place in November and features various types of masquerades that each have a name. This festival is held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium as a parade of carnival-like masquerades that are accompanied by music and it is supported by the Enugu Council of Arts and Culture. The second important Igbo festival, the New yam festival known as 'iwa ji', is held between August and October marking the harvesting and feasting of the new yam. The yam is a root vegetable that is the staple crop and a cultural symbol for the Igbo people.
- Enugu Golf Club, Mount Street, is a beautiful and challenging golf course.
Buy
editThere are three main urban markets in Enugu: Ogbete Market, Awkunanaw Market and New Market.
In Enugu most goods are sold in open markets or by street hawkers; a significant number of street hawkers in Nigeria are children. New Market is a major market for the sale of garri (cassava flour). Ogbete market is patronised by merchants from all over the surrounding area, including merchants from cities like Onitsha, Aguleri, Abakaliki and Aba. In Ogebete market non-food goods are also sold.
Eat
editYou can eat local and delicious cuisines like abacha, nkwobi, and ugba, and can drink freshly tapped palm wine.
Its famous okpa, "Okpa Enugu", is a local delicacy made from cassava
- 1 Ntashi-Osa, 3 First Ave, Independence Layout, ☏ +234-806-331-3480. Daily 8AM-8PM. Dine-in. Takeaway. Delivery.
- 2 Dolphin Restaurant, 1C Ekpunobi St, GRA, ☏ +234-806-026-1312. Daily 8AM-9PM. Dine-in. Takeaway. Delivery.
- 3 Kilimanjaro Restaurant, Independence Layout, ☏ +234-705-845-7341. Daily. Dine-in. Takeaway. Delivery.
- 4 Root restaurant and cafe, 2 Mount St, Opp Golf course, GRA. Daily. Dine-in. Takeaway. Delivery.
- 5 Genesis Restaurant, 36 Zik Ave, Uwani, ☏ +234-805-049-9249. Daily. Dine-in. Takeaway. Delivery.
- 6 Octopus, 21A Nza st, independence Layout, ☏ +234-706-522-6194. Daily 11AM-10PM. Dine-in.Takeaway.
- 7 kitchen.com.ng Discovery Kitchen, 96/98 Chime Ave, New Haven, ☏ +234-817-544-6688. Daily 8AM-9PM. Dine-in. Takeaway. Delivery.
- 8 Open sharaton, 7 Chime Ave, New Haven, ☏ +234-803-546-6599. Daily 7AM-midnight. Dine-in. Takeaway. No-contact delivery.
- 9 Nike Lake Resort, Nike Lake Road Enugu, Abakpa Nike, ☏ +234 9017181984. A place where you can get contemporary Nigerian dishes.
- Abacha Makuo, 25 River Nyaba Street, Housing Estate, Abakpa Nike, ☏ +234 703 463 4432, +234 814 465 0209, abachamakuo@gmail.com. Serves tasty Igbo delicacies such as abacha, ugba, nkwuobi, bush meat, as well as palm wine, among other meals.
- Aunty Jay's Cousine, 1 Nliam Chuks Close, Gariki, Awkunanaw, ☏ +234 806 051 8458. Serves delicious meals ranging from egusi soup and garri, white rice with stew, jollof rice, drinks and lots of other delicacies.
- Goodness Abacha Joint, 274 Amechi Road, Gariki Awkunnaw. Goodness Abacha Joint is run by a professional cook that uses locally sourced ingredients to prepare abacha also called African salad at an affordable price.
- Mmili-Ife's Abacha Joint, Ekulu Avenue, Abakpa Nike. M-Sa noon-6PM. Popular abacha (tapioca) joint that uses local ingredients to prepare tasty ugba, kpomo (cow skin), fish, akidi and abacha sauce.
- UZ Joint Relaxation Centre, 128 Agbani Road, Garki Motor Park, Gariki, Awkunanaw, ☏ +234 803 746 7372. M-Sa 8AM-6PM. Serves various meals such as jollof rice, fried meat, pork, drinks and more.
Drink
editEnugu has freshly tapped palm wine (nkwu enu) especially in Udi. This type of palm wine is popularly called Aneke Chime.
Sleep
editEnugu has a good number of hotel accommodation for travellers and visitors to the city. Some of the prominent ones include the following:
- Hotel Sunshine Enugu, Plot C5, Presidential Rd, Independence Layout, ☏ +234 9099000230.
- Toscana Hotel, Enugu, 1 Aguleri Street, Independence Layout.
- ADIG Suites, 2. Nwafor Orizu Street, off Bissala Road, Independence Layout, ☏ +234 8099956000, reservations@adigsuites.com.
- Maxbe Hotel, 1, Nza Street, Independence Layout by Government House, ☏ +2348161816192.
- 1 Golden Garden Suites, Market Garden, GRA, Enugu, ☏ +234 806 297 2661.
- 2 Land Mark Hotel, 86 Obiagu Rd, Asata.
- 3 3D Suites, 7B Ogbaru Street, Independence Layout, Asata, ☏ +234 808 301 6198.
- 4 Bontera Elephant Suites, G.R.A Enugu.
- 5 Utopia Suite and Apartment, No. 2, Ezeweputa Crescent, Off, Second Ave, Independence Layout, ☏ +234 808 222 4454.
- 6 Zin-Nia Hotel, Beside Transmission PHCN City New Heaven, 8 Ekwulumili Street, New Haven, ☏ +234 803 705 5093.
- 7 Gardenia Guest House, 13/15 Igboeze Street, Independence Layout/130 Ogui Road, Independence Layout, ☏ +234 806 920 5378.
- 8 Nike Lake Resort, Nike Lake Road, Abakpa Nike, ☏ +234 9017181984. Calm environment, laundry services, Wi-Fi and parking space.
Stay safe
editEnugu State is one of the safest states to be in Nigeria.
Connect
editFor most locations in the city of Enugu, there is coverage of the 2G/3G/4G mobile networks, but signal strength usually diminishes further away from the city center, and you might occasionally experience network outage for all or some of the mobile phone service providers in the remote areas of the city. Different networks tend to be more stable and reliable in different locations of the city at different times.
If you are planning a visit to Enugu, like many other places in Nigeria, you should probably consider having multiple SIM cards, preferably for all the mobile service providers, since you can't tell which will be more stable and reliable at a time in your location during your visit. And if you will risk not having any of them, you might be better off not risking the MTN network, because, from indications, it seem to perform well than the others, though its rates may be high and its offers and services might be stringent, but you are less likely to be concerned of erratic voice and data connection compared to others.
Airtel is another service provider which is fairly satisfactory for all you might need to connect to the world, including rates and network stability. Of course, Glo (or Globacom) boasts of fast network speed for internet browsing activities, only that you might not be able to enjoy the privilege in some locations. And 9Mobile (formerly Etisalat) usually also performs well in internet browsing speed too but with locational limitations, plus that data rate is fairly higher.