For the average Nigerian worker, civil servant or small business owner, such fares are not merely unaffordable; they are inconceivable. What makes the situation even more troubling is that Nigerians are not choosing air travel out of luxury or whim. When airfares then climb to half a million naira, the citizen is effectively trapped: unsafe roads below, unaffordable skies above. Treating it purely as a market-driven luxury ignores the realities of national integration, economic productivity and social cohesion. Mobility is not a luxury; it is a catalyst for economic growth, national unity and social inclusion.

Source: The Guardian January 17, 2026 18:18 UTC