American Tourists Reflect on 36-Year Stay in Nigeria Despite 10-Day Visas

Two American tourists, Liza Gatsby and Peter Jenkins, have shared their unexpected journey of spending over 36 years in Nigeria despite initially being granted only 10-day transit visas in 1988.

They detailed their story during an interview with content creator David Nkwa, which was broadcast on Wednesday.

The tourists revealed that they had no intention of extending their stay beyond the allotted 10 days. However, their plans changed as they became captivated by the opportunities for scientific and wildlife conservation work in Nigeria, as well as the country’s impressive infrastructure, warm hospitality, and overall living conditions, which they found preferable to those in America at the time.

Gatsby noted, “I’ll tell you what I like about Nigerians. Okay, that’s what makes Nigeria different from every other country in Africa. They would say ‘hey! Oyinbo, come in na, sit down, make we talk. Make I go buy you drink.’ That is the difference between Nigeria and the rest of Africa.”

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She continued, “There were a lot of interesting opportunities in areas of Science and Wildlife Conservation that we became involved in, and we’re still here 36 years later. We arrived with a 10-day transit visa, and we have been here for 36 years.”

The couple established a nonprofit organization called Pandas, dedicated to ranching drill monkeys in Bano and Calabar in Cross River State. Gatsby emphasized the importance of all species, stating, “I don’t think that one species is more important than another, just like I don’t think that human beings are more important than drills or elephants are more important than whales; I think we are all of equal value, and the drill is a scarce species, it’s one of the rarest animals in Africa.”

Jenkins explained their choice of Calabar, saying they had conducted research which revealed that, aside from Cameroon, Calabar was another habitat for drill monkeys. He noted that until 1987, no scientist or tourist had discovered these animals in the region. They secured local support and funding to make the area suitable for conservation.

“I love Nigeria, this is a great place. Come and live in Calabar and be at rest,” Jenkins said. He reminisced about Nigeria’s past, stating, “When we got here, the population of Nigeria in the early ’90s and the late ’80s was around 65 million. The amount of natural resources that were still intact was extraordinary, and the density of wildlife generally in the forest was better compared to today.”

Jenkins also recalled the lower cost of living, “In fact, it’s appallingly low now, but in those days, this was a wonderful place to do research. Communities were very welcoming in those days; life was cheap; here, diesel, which is what our Land Rover ran on, was 35 Kobo, and with 29 Kobo to the market, you would come back with two heavy bags with change in the pocket.”

Despite their positive experiences, Gatsby expressed concerns about the lack of national pride in Nigeria’s cultural and natural heritage. “Nigerians don’t have pride in Nigeria’s natural heritage. I think that’s a big issue because that’s what it takes to try to make a difference. People don’t take pride in their cultural identity, language, traditional herbs, and healing.”

She lamented the potential loss of traditional knowledge, asking, “There was this huge wealth of knowledge when we came here on traditional healing and herbs from the forest, and that was another thing that put value on the natural resources here, but which of these old herbalists have an apprentice who is learning from them and when these old guys are gone, all that knowledge is going to be lost?”

Gatsby questioned the reliance on imported herbal products, “You go to the market now; we see herbal teas and herbal cures imported from China. How do we know that those things work? What’s wrong with our traditional ones here?”