Internet freedom has been deteriorating in Nigeria since the 2019 elections. The government maintains that it doesn’t censor its citizens. But the journalists and bloggers are continually arrested for expressing conflicting political views, thus triggering a need to use VPNs in Nigeria to protect online privacy.
On June 4th, the Ministry of Information and Culture suspended Twitter’s operations in the country indefinitely. The ban took effect immediately after the policy was announced, and many Nigerians couldn’t access their Twitter accounts.
A virtual private network (VPN) will help you use Twitter (and other platforms) and stay anonymous online. By encrypting your traffic and hiding your IP address, nobody can see what you are doing. I tested over 50 services, and now I present you with the top 5 best VPNs for Nigeria.
Top 3 Nigeria VPNs – The quick list
Are you short on time? Check out these rigorously tested top VPNs that work well in Nigeria:
- ExpressVPN – Our top pick VPN for users in Nigeria. Uses advanced encryption and high-speed servers placed worldwide. It has impressive unblocking capabilities, so you’ll access anything you want.
- Private Internet Access (PIA) – A vast global server network, including in Nigeria. It also offers an effective ad blocker and allows you to customize the encryption.
- Surfshark – Affordable Nigerian VPN that offers unlimited simultaneous connections. Some of its features, such as camouflage mode and MultiHop, are rare to find in other VPNs.
Quick guide on setting a VPN up for Nigeria
- Subscribe to a VPN and download it. Ensure you get only the one that can bypass geo-restrictions without compromising your connection speed and privacy. My number one recommendation is ExpressVPN, courtesy of its vast server pool, military-grade encryption, and fast speeds.
- Connect to a VPN server located in a country, depending on your need. If you want to bypass censorship on Twitter or other similar sites blocked, connecting to any server outside Nigeria will do. But if you need to unblock streaming services, you’ll need to connect to an appropriate server. For example, connect to a UK server to stream content from BBC iPlayer when visiting Nigeria. Likewise, if you wish to access US Netflix, connect to a server in the USA. (You get the idea, right?)
- Begin browsing whatever you want! That’s it. All your online activities alongside identity are protected while you can now enjoy the internet at full freely.
Best VPNs in Nigeria today
Not all VPNs can bypass the Nigerian government’s restrictions and censorship. So, I set out to research and test the best VPNs that actually work in Nigeria. My list features reliable providers that will hide your online activities and actual location. In addition, they are easy to use and come with a money-back guarantee.
1. ExpressVPN
Out top pick VPN for Nigeria. With its extremely-fast servers, you can access anything you want even outside Nigeria.
3,000+ servers across 94 countries 
AES-256-bit encryption 
IPv6 leak protection 
P2P optimized servers 
Zero-logs policy 
TrustedServer technology 
Has kill switch (Network Lock feature) 
Supports up to 5 devices at once 
24/7 customer support via live chat 
30 days money-back guarantee Pros
- Unblocks many sites in Nigeria
- Fast-speed connections
- Top-notch privacy and security
Cons
- Relatively expensive
ExpressVPN is my top pick VPN for Nigeria. It employs sufficient security measures, has a massive server network, and does not keep any logs.
Let’s look at how the VPN will keep you safe. First, it uses AES-256 military-grade encryption to protect your traffic and data. The encryption is reinforced with a 4096-bit RSA key, AES 256-bit cipher, and SHA-512 HMAC authentication. This is to ensure that your connections are near-impossible to break.
Another critical security feature ExpressVPN uses is the perfect forward secrecy. It will change your encryption key every time you start using the VPN. This will make activities from your previous session unrelated to the current one.
Moreover, the kill switch will keep your traffic on the encrypted loop even when the VPN drops. ExpressVPN terms it as Network Lock and is automatically enabled, so you wouldn’t require configuring it manually.
The Nigerian government has instructed the federal prosecutor to arrest and prosecute those who use the Twitter app. However, with the combination of these security features, they cannot trace your activities or location.
In terms of privacy, ExpressVPN follows a strict zero-logs policy. This means that it does not retain any logs of your connection or activity. The only data it keeps is the information you provide when creating an account, which is common in the industry. Furthermore, the provider is based in the British Virgin Islands, a privacy-friendly country.
It has a massive server network of more than 3,000 servers in 94 countries with the best coverage in the US. This makes it convenient to access US geo-blocked streaming services such as Peacock TV, OxygenTV, etc. Unfortunately, ExpressVPN does not have servers in Nigeria, but you can use nearby ones like Algeria, Egypt, or Kenya. As per my tests, these servers still provided fast speeds as if I was connected to a local server.
On the downside, ExpressVPN packages are slightly pricier than its competitors. Nonetheless, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee where you can test the service before subscribing.