Lafia, or Lafia Garin Madidi, is prominent as an agricultural center for sesame seeds, soybeans, and is a trading centre for yams, sorghum, millet, and cotton.

Understand

Lafia is a town in North Central Nigeria. This region of the country is also referred to as the middle belt. It is the capital city of Nasarawa State. Lafia had a population of 330,712 inhabitants in 2006 but has an estimated population in 2021 of 348,000 inhabitants.

Lafia has a Tropical Savanna Climate with an average annual temperature of 36 °C (97 °F).

Lafia is also known as Lafian Bare-bari or Lafia Garin Madidi. It was once known as Lafia Beri-Beri. It was founded by Muhammadu Dunama in late 17th century on the site of a Koro (Migili) village. In 1903, during the colonial rule, the British who controlled the northern region of the country recognised Chief Musa as Lafia’s first emir. The emirate formed the major part of the Lafia Division of Benue province. Lafia became the capital of a prominent local chiefdom in the late 19th century. As of 2021, Lafia town has its 17th Emir.

Between 1881–1903, during the rule of Mohamman Agwai, the Lafia market became one of the most important in the Benue Valley, and a trade route was opened to Loko about 56 mi [90 km] southwest, a Benue River port.

The population of Lafia is mainly Eggon, Alago, Kanuri, Aho and Koro people. It also has large populations of Igbo, Hausa, Mwaghavul settlers amongst other tribes. This is as a result of the hospitable and peaceful nature of the indigenes of the area and has made the city a miniature country.

Get in

Lafia is on the trunk railway from Port Harcourt and on the main highway between Makurdi and Jos. In Lafia,Tin and Columbite are mined nearby, and there is a deposit of coal southeast of the town.

There are a couple of transportation options available to travellers and intending travellers to the town. These are:

By plane

As of June 2021, the Nassarawa Cargo Airport in Lafia is under construction and visitors to Lafia would have to use of airports around the neighbouring cities. These airports are the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja, the Kaduna Airport in Kaduna state and the Yakubu Gowon Airport in Jos, Plateau state. These airports are relatively close to Lafia. The average time for travelling by road to Lafia from these Airports is 1 hour 30 minutes and a taxi costs about ₦17,900.

By car or bus

One can access Lafia by road from bordering cities within states like Benue, Kogi, Plateau and Abuja. So many public transport companies offer bus shuttle services to the town from these cities and other cities within the country. Small-scale transporters also convey travellers from other parts of Nassarawa State and its environs to Lafia. The cost of travelling to the city by road from the southern regions of Nigeria is about ₦600 whereas the average cost is ₦3000 from the northern parts of the country. Notable road transporters to Lafia are the Aminu Transport Services with bus terminal in New Nyanya and ABC transport with bus terminal along Jos Road among others.

By train

The city's railway is connected to the East line railway axis and it is served by the main narrow gauge railway that begins at Port Harcourt, Rivers state. Travelling to the city by train is less popular than it used to be because the railway sector in Nigeria is struggling.

Get around

Movement around and within Lafia is made easy by intra-town transport service providers such especially the commercial motorcycle riders, the tricycle operators, the minibus drivers and the taxi shuttle cab drivers. The average price for the motorcycles, tricycles, and minibuses is ₦100 while the taxi cabs might charge commuters between ₦1000-2000 when they are chartered (2021).

See

Intending travellers and visitors to Lafia would have a much better feel of the city by paying visits to some interesting sites.

• 1 Akiri Warm Spring. Body of water that provides crystal-clear warm water believed to have medicinal powers. (updated Jun 2021)
• 2 Peperuwa Lake. An elongated natural lake with an estimated surface that exceeds 7 kilometres in length and about 4 kilometres in width. This lake is a habitat for aquatic creatures like fishes and water ducks. (updated Jun 2021)
• 3 Eggon Hills and Caves. Hills that exceed heights of 30 meters and also feature rocks shaped like kopjes and inselbergs. (updated Jun 2021)
• Lafia Stadium, Jos-Makurdi Road. Used mostly for football matches, it is the home stadium of Nasarawa United. The stadium has a capacity of 10,000 people.  

Do

There is a wide range of entertaining and fun-filled activities visitors can engage in while in Lafia.

• 1 Ox-bow lake fishing festivals. Annual fishing festival which takes place at the Hunki Ox-Bow Lake. 
• 2 Oku Akpa Rock and Picnic Centre. The city's ideal place to engage in activities like mountain climbing and hunting. 

Buy

Lafia is well notable and prominent as a center point for sesame seeds, soybeans, and is a trading centre for yams, sorghum, millet, and cotton.

Lafia has a good number of Malls and Markets from where Visitors can purchase commodities of different varieties. Some of these Malls are:

The Sani Sani Plaza situated at the center of the Lafia City metropolis. This shopping centre offers a wide range of commodities such as domestic utilities, office equipment, and clothing materials.

The Danmaje Shopping Complex located along Science School Road, a shopping complex where customers can purchase different kinds of items ranging from kids toys to stationery and fashion items.

Another shopping centre is the Ask Plaza.

Markets

Markets in Lafia include:

Karu International Market, a place where buyers can purchase several food items including affordable fairly used clothing.

Lafia Central Market, a markeyt where buyers can get edible items such as meat, yam, and grains alongside non-edible items like clothing and toiletries.

Another notable market is the Lafia International Market.

Eat

The People of Lafia town have a good number of local delicacies such as Pate, Acha, Tuwo Masara. Other meals such as Tuwon Dawa and Tuwo Shinkafa.

Soups like the Miyan Kuka are also well known in the town.

In Lafia, there are a number of good eateries/ restaurants that can serve visitors and travellers decent homegrown and as well as foreign dishes. Also, food hawkers and roadside food vendors also offer food to the town populace. Some of these Restaurants and Fast-food spots in Lafia are:

Mr Biggs Restaurant which has branches spread across the town from where customers can get basic meals and pastries.

Jenase chops, a shop where customers are offered foods and snacks like cakes, burgers, hotdogs, plus assorted fresh juice, ice cream and grilled fish and chicken. This popular eatery is located at millionaire’s quarters Lafia beriberi.

The cost of a meal from food hawkers or roadside vendors is about ₦200 while the average cost of getting a meal at the upscale restaurants is ₦750 (2021). Some of these prominent restaurants are: Tegina Restaurant, Akarekwu Kworo Restaurant, Akabeleu Restaurant, Alebiosu Restaurant, Lavista Fries all along Makurdi - Jos Road, Lafia,

Drink

• 1 Star wood, Lafia. Daily. Takeaway. (updated Jun 2021)
• 2 Sarkin Sudan Lafia Palace, Lafia. 24 hr. Takeaway. (updated Jun 2021)
• 3 Jumokes Place, Makurdi-Jos Rd, Opposite Federal Polytechnic. 24 hr. Dine-in. Takeaway. (updated Jun 2021)
• 4 Villa Roza Lounge, HillCorn St. Daily. Dine-in. Takeaway. (updated Jun 2021)
• 5 Las Vegas Kitchen & Bar, Gandu, ☏ +234-814-739-0531. M-Sa 10AM-midnight, Su 24 hr. Takeaway. (updated Jun 2021)

Learn

• Bingham University. (updated Dec 2021)
• Nasarawa State University. (updated Dec 2021)
• Nasarawa State Polytechnic Lafia on the main road linking to Lafia City.
• College of Agriculture Lafiya after shabu the first school you are going to see on entering the Lafia City
• NISS after State Polytechnic Lafia before getting to Bukan City.

Sleep

There is accommodation available for visitors to lodge in Lafia. The town has a couple of temporary accommodation facilities that cut across different budget categories.

Budget

• Tino Hotel, at Bukan Sidi opposite the CBN site. It offers a range of basic hotel services at a relatively low price.
• Sandaji Chalets, on the Jos Road, is another low cost hotel which visitors on a limited budget can take advantage of. Sandaji Chalets boasts services like regular power and air-conditioned rooms all at cheap and affordable rates.

The average cost of spending a night in lodging facilities under this category is ₦3,500 (2021).

Mid-range

• Hilcon Royal Hotel, the hotel is opposite the Nassarawa Polytechnic. It provides basic lodging facilities which includes adequate car parking space and en suite bathrooms.
• The Global Village Suites, on the Abuja-Keffi Expressway, offers guests great hospitality services at a quite affordable rate.

The average cost of a night in hotels that fall within this range is ₦7000 (2021).

Splurge

• Taal Conference Center, on Jos Road, offers good hotel services in an environment of serenity.
• Goream Hotel, on Shendam Road has outstanding facilities such as a large outdoor pool and sufficient parking space.

The cost of hotels in this category is about ₦14,000 (2021).

However, hotel accommodation in Lafia may be more difficult to secure during the festive periods.