10/09/2025
UK vs Nigeria: Why We Struggle with Ports & Airports
Sometimes I ask myself, why is Nigeria, a country so large and blessed, still choking its own people with lack of options?
Let’s compare:
🇬🇧 United Kingdom (UK)
Land size: about 243,000 km² (small compared to Nigeria)
Population: ~67 million
Seaports: 120 commercial ports + 400 smaller ports, spread across the country
Major ports: 51 ports handle more than 1 million tonnes yearly
Airports: 58 international airports, located across regions This means whether you are in Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, or London, you have access to ports and airports. Goods move freely. Costs are competitive. Businesses and individuals have options.
🇳🇬 Nigeria
Land size: about 924,000 km² (almost 4x bigger than the UK)
Population: ~227 million
Seaports: only about 6 major ports (Apapa, Tin Can, Port Harcourt, Onne, Warri, Calabar) but Lagos alone handles nearly 90% of imports
Airports: just 5 main international airports (Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Enugu) with Lagos again carrying most of the load
This means everyone is forced to use Lagos. Congestion everywhere. High bills. Damaged goods. Corruption. No real options
The Result
In the UK: Infrastructure is spread around opportunity spreads, businesses grow, and competition keeps prices balanced.
In Nigeria: Everything is centralized in Lagos monopoly, higher costs, losses for traders, frustration for ordinary citizens.
🇳🇬 Nigeria is a big country. Why can’t we have at least 20 well-functioning ports and airports across different states? Why must everyone be squeezed into Lagos? Until we decentralize infrastructure, Nigeria’s trade, economy, and people will continue to suffer.