TRANSPORT FARE FROM LAGOS TO THE EAST: ₦72,500, WHO IS REALLY CORRUPT?
It is truly disheartening to see transport fares from Lagos to the East rise to as high as ₦72,500. What makes it even more painful is that this increase cannot be honestly linked to a hike in fuel prices or the cost of motor parts. So one is forced to ask: what exactly is driving this sudden and unbearable cost?
The bitter truth is that this has less to do with economics and more to do with human desperation and exploitation. The festive season, family obligations, burials, weddings, and the deep cultural pull to “go home” have made many people desperate to travel to the East. Transporters are well aware of this urgency, and sadly, some have chosen to take advantage of it.
When people are tired, emotional, and under pressure to meet family expectations, they become vulnerable. And in that vulnerability, prices are inflated without conscience. It becomes a situation where passengers are no longer seen as humans, but as opportunities to cash out.
What hurts the most is that this burden falls heavily on the common man, the civil servant, the trader, the student, people who have not seen any increase in income, yet are expected to pay almost double the usual fare. Many are forced to borrow, sell personal belongings, or abandon travel plans entirely.
So the real question remains: who is more corrupt?
Is it the system that allows unchecked exploitation, or the individuals who knowingly take advantage of people’s desperation?
Until we begin to call out these practices and demand fairness, this cycle will continue. Travel should not feel like punishment, and going home should not come at the cost of dignity. Empathy, fairness, and a sense of collective responsibility are urgently needed, because today it is the passenger, tomorrow it could be anyone else.
