10 Best Museums to Explore In Nigeria, Location, Charges

There are a lot of fun museums you can explore in Nigeria. Nigeria has a lot of museums that showcase historical artefacts in arts, culture, technology, and a lot more. You can find these museums in almost every state in the federation. All the museums are either private or government-owned.

Most of the museums in Nigeria serve as a means of tourist attractions in the country. People come from far and wide to see the exhibits of these museums. Interestingly, some of these museums house artefacts that are well over 500 years old.

With a large number of museums in Nigeria, it becomes a little complicated for you to tour around each state to ascertain the museums that can be considered the best in Nigeria.

This is where we come in. we have taken time out to tour around each state, checking each of the museums along the way to be able to compile a list of the best museums to explore in Nigeria.

If you will list to narrow your tour to the best museums in Nigeria, this article is for you. We are going to be discussing the best museums in Nigeria you should definitely explore.

Keep reading as I give more light to this topic.

10 Best Museums to Explore In Nigeria, Location and Charges

With its rich culture, history, and natural beauty, it’s no wonder that many people want to visit Nigeria.

In fact, in terms of tourism, the country is on the rise. If you’re planning a trip to Africa, you may want to include a visit to Nigeria in your itinerary.

1. Benin City National Museum

This is one of the most popular museums in Nigeria. It has rich preservation of the colonial history and the cultural heritage of the state. People come from within and beyond this country to take a tour of this museum.

Benin City national museum opens by 9 am and closes by 6 pm every day. It is located at ring road roundabout, Oka, Benin city and is just a 10 minutes drive from the main town. It was founded in 1973.

There is a lot of history you will learn when you explore this museum. There are also a lot of things you will get to see in this museum such as the terra cotta, the bronze figures and iron cast pieces, and a lot more.

You can explore the art gallery which is on the second floor. It boasts artefacts within and outside the neighbouring communities, including the bronze casting head of queen Idia and a lot more. – The entry fee into this museum is less than #1,000 per individual.

2. National War Museum

This is another museum you should definitely explore if you are looking for a museum that showcases the rich history of events in Nigeria. The national war museum is one of the museums that should be at the top of your list.

This museum is located at national war museum road 44056, Umuahia and it opens on weekdays from 12 am to 6 pm. They are also open on weekends from 12 noon to 6 pm. This museum was founded in 1985 and it tells the stories and memories of the Nigerian civil war.

There are a lot of fun things about the civil war you will learn when you decide to explore this museum. You will also see war artefacts such as the NNS-Bonny boat, the bazooka anti-tank gun, the ferret armoured car, the Igbunikwe launcher, the artillery guns, the Mig-17 aircraft, and a lot more.

You will also get to see the Biafra flag which is popularly called half of a yellow sun and the defunct radio station.  The entry fee is less than #500 for both adults and kids.

3. Oron Museum

This is another museum you should definitely explore if you are looking for the best museums in Nigeria. Just like other museums, this museum attracts a lot of tourists from far and wide. It also showcases a rich history of the cultural heritage of the state.

This museum is located in Oron, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria and it opens every day from 10 am to 4 pm.  It is just a 45-minute drive from the airport to the venue and there are commercial buses to convey you to the location of this museum.

There are a lot of historical artefacts you will see in this museum such as the ancestral figures (ekpu) of the Oron people. You will also see the funeral shrine of the Ibibio chiefs, the statues of the founder of the museum, the custom of their traditional masquerades, and a lot more.

The relics of the civil war are also on display for you to see. Do not forget to pay a visit to the craft village to see more beautiful craft this city has to offer.

Entry into this museum is relatively cheap as the entry fee costs just #500 for adults, #300 for children and #1,000 for foreigners.

4. Nigerian National Museum

This is considered the number one museum in Nigeria. It is the museum that houses every important piece of art and relics relating to the history, culture, and heritage of Nigeria. It also tells the story of colonialism and other national events that took place in the country since the 1900s.

This museum is located at Onikan, Lagos Island, Lagos, and was founded in 1957 by Kenneth Murray.  It opens from 9.30 am and closes by 3.30 pm daily. This museum serves as a tourist attraction to a lot of people from within and outside Nigeria.

If you take a tour around this museum, you will get to explore fun artefacts such as Anyanwu which means the eyes of the sun. You will also see other artefacts like Ekoi Stone Sculpture, Daskakari grave sculpture, a fierce Sukur warrior protecting her land, the life of the Lagos painting, the car in which Muritala Mohammed was assassinated, and a lot more.

The entry fee is relatively cheap as you can tour this museum for as low as #200 to #300.

5. Badagry Heritage Museum

This is another museum in Nigeria that tells the history of colonialism and the slave trade in Nigeria. This museum has a lot of relics that showcase the plight and suffering of the Nigerian forefathers. It attracts a lot of people from within and outside Lagos.

This museum is located at Launder Road, Marina Badagry and it opens by 9 am and closes by 5 pm daily. It was built in 1863 by the British colonial government.

This museum is different into different sections just for your fun and adventure. You will get to explore different sections such as the introductory gallery which gives you an introduction to Badagry and its culture, and the capture section which houses pictures of the slaves, and the relics used to chain them.

There is also a transportation section which has a replica of the ships used to transport the slaves and a lot more.- The entry fee is relatively affordable as it costs less than #1,000 per adult.

6. Gidan Makama Museum, Kano

This is another museum you should take your time to visit if you are looking for top museums in Nigeria to explore. This museum which is located at the heart of Kano tells a lot of stories about the history and pre-colonial administration of the people of Kano.

It is located at emir palace road, Wudilawa, Kano, and it opens by 8 am and closes by 6 pm every day. This building was the temporary palace of the emir before the current one was constructed in the 15th century.

There are a lot of reasons why you should explore this museum. This museum has 8 galleries with each gallery containing materials, artefacts, and pictures representing the culture and heritage of the people.

Ancient architecture, the story of the civil war, the story of the old Kano economy, the Islamic heritage of the people, and a lot more are placed in different galleries in this museum. – The entry fee into this museum costs just #500.

7. Kaduna National Museum

The Kaduna national museum is a museum that has a lot of art and crafts exhibited. It contains artefacts as old as 300 to 500 years. This museum serves as a tourist attraction for a lot of people in Kaduna.

The museum was opened in 1975 following a donation from the northern people’s congress. It was later closed due to maintenance issues and was recently reopened in 2019. It has been functioning optimally since its reopening

There are a lot of fun relics you will find in this museum. You will see collections of archaeological exhibits, ethnological crafts, and a lot more.

You will even get to see and possibly interact with the indigenes who specialize in making art and crafts. This is a perfect historical museum in Kaduna. – The entry fee into this museum costs just #200 to #500.

8. Jos Museum

If you are looking for a museum that can serve your research purposes on prehistoric Nigeria, Jos museum is the perfect museum for you. This museum contains a lot of art and sculpture which tell the story of the life and times of the people of Jos before colonialism.

It is located at 1st museum street, Jos. This museum was founded in 1952 and has been functional ever since. It was formerly the national museum of Nigeria before it fell into ruins due to neglect and lack of proper maintenance.

Do not be discouraged, despite its lack of proper maintenance, this museum is still considered one of the best museums in the country as it still houses a lot of artefacts.

You will see a fine collection of pottery and a fine specimen of the Nok terracotta head dating back to 500 BC. It is one of the museums you should definitely visit in Nigeria.

9. Esie Museum

This museum is a very popular museum in the city of Kwara. It is known to have the largest collection of soapstone images in the world. People come from different parts of the country just to see these soapstone. It is rumoured that it previously housed over 1000 soapstone.

Essie Museum is located in Esie town and it opens from 8 am to 5.30 pm daily.

There is a lot of history and beliefs attached to this museum. Some indigenes believed that the stones were formally humans who rebelled against their leader. Due to their rebellion, they were frozen into stones by their gods. There is a lot of unique figures, art, and craft in this museum.

You will also see a woman carrying a sword which depicts the political powers of the women during the pre-colonial times. – The entry fee to this museum is less than #500.

10. Calabar Old Residency Museum

The old residency museum is one of the museums in the city of Calabar.  There are a lot of crafts, artefacts, and sculptures in this museum that portray the rich history of the culture of Calabar. Thus method talks about the history and the cultural values of the people of Calabar

This museum is located at Ekpo Eyo Drive, Duke’s Town, Calabar. And it is open 24 hours a day. You can take a tour around this museum at any time you wish. – Fun things in this museum include arts, sculpture, a hang-out arena, and much more.

How many museums are in Nigeria?

There are over 30 museums across different parts of the country.

Which is the most popular museum in Nigeria?

The national museum in Lagos is the most popular in Nigeria.

Which museum is the oldest in Nigeria?

There are a lot of ancient museums in Nigeria. The oldest however is the Esie museum.

Conclusion

There are well over 30 museums in the country. If you are looking for the best museum for your tours, pick any of the ones listed above and have a wonderful and informative experience.