The loud silence of the government on the alarming rate of corruption going on in the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

“I have been around the world and I have never seen an airport that is as corrupt as the Lagos international airport in Nigeria, I mean, it’s extremely corrupt in every sense of it; picture corruption. It will have to be an example that’d pop up whenever you google for the meaning of corruption. Literally everywhere, literally everyone here is corrupt; you don’t want to wait online for Covid test? Pay this guy, you don’t want to stay in the queue? Pay this guy, you don’t want your bags get checked? Pay this guy, do you want to get in anything you want into the country? Pay this guy”

These were the exact words of American renown Vlogger; Tommy Elforastero (Sabbatica) on his recent visit to Nigeria.

Same was the ordeal of an American lady who visited her spouse in Nigeria this year, she went to social media to complain about how extremely corrupt the Nigerian airports are especially the Lagos international Airport. The airport staffs and workers are always looking for every means to extort travelers and demand for money for no reason if not you risk getting delayed and you can miss your flight if you refuse to ‘shake body or drop something’; the local parlances they use while demanding for bribes from people. She even made a video showing the faces of some of the airport staffs seeking bribes and trying to extort her. 

My own Personal experience;  as a constant traveler who have used the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, International Wing I can boldly attest to the alarming rate of corruption going on in that place. Everyone who have used MM2 will attest to this fact. When the American Vlogger said that the Airport is the example that will pop up when you google the meaning of corruption he is not exaggerating, infact he was even understating the facts; that airport is not just an example of corruption but corruption personified.

Nigerians who think that the government and those occupying government seats and offices are the most corrupt in Nigeria, well, the joke is on them; the ordinary citizens working as airport staffs and workers are the ‘concierge of corruption’, professors of corruption; the government officials should even learn the art of corruption from them. 

Travelers having crying out for the incessant extortions and bribery requests from the staffs at the airport. It won’t be far from the truth to say that nobody, not even a soul is clean of corruption there, from the high ranking officials to the least workers. They think that those traveling are traveling with bags of money and they should be extorted from so they come up with different means and stories to extort travelers and demand for bribe with so much impunity if not they won’t let you go to catch up with your flight. It’s either you succumb to them and let them extort you like a fool or they intentionally make you miss your flight. 

Travelers both Nigerian and expatriates have been complaining from time immemorial and people are still complaining about this till this day and nothing have been done about it, some have even accepted the extortion and bribery going on there as the Nigerian way of life and have come to force themselves to live with that style and you will have to budget for bribe money you will pay to Airport workers for not just cause while traveling. 

This have come to the breaking point, it has come to its last limit, this cannot be overstretched any longer, something need to be done urgently,  It’s high time the government of Nigeria look into that Airport and take some drastic measures to purge corruption and corrupt workers giving bad reputation to the country in order to salvage what is left of the dying reputation of the government.