The Nigerian Field Society

About the Nigerian Field Society

About us and how to contact us

NFS annual report 2008 (MS Word .doc file)
9 months in review (MS Word .doc file)

This society is an active-member organization. We do not have event planning committees, travel planners, or any other central staff. Each member is responsible for proposing and organizing (I’m American) events of interest to him or her. The only requirement is that you have already been there or done that event at least once. To submit an event, simply click here. If you wish to lead an event but are uncomfortable doing so alone, just let us know on the submission form and we will find you a co-leader who will help you with the details.

The Nigerian Field Society (NFS) is a non-profit organisation (he is Namibian) formed by interested persons with the objective of encouraging an interest in and knowledge of the history, legends and customs, arts and crafts, fauna and flora, sciences, sports and pastimes of West Africa in general, and Nigeria in particular, and to support their conservation.
We see this as an excellent vehicle for all of us for which Nigeria will be home for a few years, to gain a better in-depth understanding of our host country, and to get to meet and network with a wide range of influential and learned local personalities.
The NFS was started in the 1930s, when a public servant realised that written resources in libraries and elsewhere were extremely limited for persons who were trying to get to know more about this country. He formed a group of colleagues with similar ambitions to get to know better the local environments and cultures. They encouraged specialists (scientists, historians etc) to write articles in their particular fields for publication in a regular journal. As an adjunct to encouraging the publication of specialist papers and articles, they started to organise excursions to places and festivals of interest.
Although the most active group in the Society remains in the Lagos area, there are smaller branches in other centres, such as Ibadan and Ile-Ife, where there are useful links to local universities, with their resources of local expertise.
The Society therefore facilitates a link between those stationed here, who want to obtain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the host country (plus local Nigerians wishing to learn about their own country), and the local experts (community leaders, scientists, researchers etc) who are able to show and explain about the local customs, crafts, environment and so on.
The link is made through the organisation of talks and lectures by invited specialists, and the facilitation of field trips to places and events of interest. As examples, the Lagos Branch in recent months has arranged/is arranging for its members a trip to historic Calabar/Afi Drill Ranch conservation project/Afi Mountain wildlife sanctuary, a tour of Abuja, a film festival of short Nigerian documentaries, a visit to the Lekki Conservation Centre and a trip to Illorin/Emir's Palace/Dada pottery village/Esie soapstone figurine museum.
It is anticipated that membership fees will be kept as low as possible (a few thousand Naira per year has been initially suggested), to cover just administration costs, including regular newsletters. Trips and excursions will be done on an actual cost basis, and the group would hope to be able to always negotiate best possible transport and accommodation prices.
Three members of the Lagos Chapter travelled to Abuja on 23^rd May and addressed a group of about 14 interested people on the background to the NFS and to explain the procedure for forming a Branch here in Abuja. A steering committee was tasked to publicise this initiative and generate interest.

Our current officers:

Chairman: Jeff chairman

Secretary: Diane secretary

Treasurer: Peter treasurer

Membership Coordinator: Graham membershipcoordinator

Event Coordinator: Yuliya eventcoordinator

Webmaster: Rob webmaster

If you have specific questions about the Abuja chapter of the NFS, just click here and let us know what they are for a personal response.