O. R. SalahudeenTravelling by road could be a wonderful experience depends on where you are heading, your mission, and the mode of transport convening you. Most people using road transport in transiting border crossing most of the time has got no alternative, to them it’s the only option.
Here are 20 Countries Nigerians can travel to by road.
1. BENIN REPUBLIC: Nigeria neighbour to the west. All roads lead to Cotonou. Going to Cotonou and other towns in the Benin Republic is a normal daily business. Travellers from Nigeria cross the border every minute from the South West to the Northern States, road users are travelling all over and very frequently regardless of the border bottlenecks. To the ordinary people living around the border area, it is a normal routine, crossing from one side to the other. Depends on where you’re starting from, Lagos, Kano, or Sokoto you can get a direct commercial vehicle to the Benin Republic without difficulty and at a reasonable cost.
2. TOGO: Taking off from Lagos, all you need is to bypass Cotonou and you’re in Lome. Regardless of the long-distance, many Nigerian traders prefer getting goods in Togo than the Benin Republic due to the low tax rates prevailing in Togo. Go to the Mile two motor park in Lagos, you will definitely get direct transport to Lome, Togo.
3. GHANA: Ghana has been a preferred destination for many Nigerians young and old for quite a while, and more and more travellers go to Ghana using road transport without much hindrance. Due to the type of business and goods, they’re engaging in, you can not prescribe any other alternative mode of transport. Nowadays there are luxurious buses plying Lagos – Accra route on a daily basis
4. IVORY COAST: Before air travel came into operation, many Nigerians have been travelling by road to Abidjan the capital of the Ivory Coast. A town in the South West called Ejigbo town has a special motor park dedicated to passengers travelling to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. It was so popular and reliable that almost all travellers to Ivory Coast never thought of other alternatives regardless of the condition of the popular buses. Currently, there are other alternative places and modes of transport around Nigeria available to road travellers to the Ivory Coast.
5. BURKINA FASO: Travelling from Lagos to Ouagadougou and other towns in Burkina Faso could be made simple and faster if you’re going on a private vehicle, however, due to the fact that the majority of travellers are using commercial transport the best connection should be Ivory Coast or you go through northern Ghana, getting to Ouagadougou from Ghana is increasingly popular nowadays.
6. LIBERIA: Due to the Liberia civil war and Nigeria’s involvement in the conflict many businessmen travel by road to the country conveying essential items needed by the unfortunate Liberian people, afterwards road transport to Liberia became popular. Henceforth you can easily get direct commercial vehicles from Lagos to Monrovia on a daily basis. For the majority of traders from Lagos, travelling to Monrovia is the only option without any alternative.
7. SIERRA LEONE: You can take a luxurious bus or bus car directly from Lagos to Freetown and you get there within 24 hours. Freetown is a popular destination for Nigeria road travellers because Sierra Leone is a commonwealth country, English is widely spoken. If you’re looking for a cheaper way to get to Sierra Leone from Nigeria by road, move straight to the Mile two motor park in Lagos you will not be disappointed. Get there and select the type of vehicle that suits your needs.
8. GUINEA: A big and peaceful Sierra Leone neighbour can easily be connected by road from Nigeria moving through Ivory Coast, Liberia, or Sierra Leone. Although Sierra Leone presents you with the best choice, it is your choice to choose any of the adjacent ECOWAS member countries.
9. GUINEA BISSAU: Coming from Lagos by road on your way to the small coastal country called Guinea-Bissau, all you need is to get to Conakry and make an easy connection to Bissau, nothing is stopping you. You’re free as a bird because you’re a member of the ECOWAS hence, you don’t need entry visa. However, Non-members are welcome as long as they can present their valid travel documents.
10. SENEGAL: A country made famous by tall and beautiful African people. In the 70s almost all Nigerians used to travel to Senegal mainly by road. There are direct buses going to Senegal. Whenever you’re travelling to Senegal it’s a must to come back with the popular Senegalese Bread. It used to be the finest gift to adults and children. Senegal bread is a first-class West African snack. Currently, you can get luxurious busses or bus cars directly from Lagos to Dakar.
11. THE GAMBIA: The country of Mr Dauda Jawara, small but very famous to Nigerian road travellers. The Gambia is well-known more than the bigger adjacent countries simply because it’s an English-speaking country. From Northern to southern Nigeria, The Gambia is a preferred country Nigeria road travellers go with direct commercial transport very often. There’re buses or bus cars directly from Lagos to Banjul.
12. MALI: Malians are well-known road travellers from the olden days. They are the pioneers, and Nigerians follow in their footsteps. Travelling by road to Mali a sub-Sahara African country is more popular and cheaper through Northern Nigeria. The famous Katsina – Maradi route is still in operation currently regardless of the hiccups on the way
STILL, ON 20 COUNTRIES NIGERIANS CAN TRAVEL TO BY ROAD
13. CAMEROON: Nigeria neighbour to the east, is a country Nigerians from the East and the North travel to by road every minutes. Some do not believe that there are alternative means of getting to Cameroon because of their faithfulness to the road. You cannot prescribe any other means of reaching Cameroon to rural Bakassi Peninsula inhabitants. Going and coming back from Cameroon is a normal daily routine for them and nobody can stop them from travelling the road.
14. EQUATORIAL GUINEA: A small coastal oil-rich country is a place Nigeria travel to daily by road mainly for business purposes, and family reunion. When Nigerians road travellers from the South East talking of Equatorial Guinea you will not believe there is a border bottleneck somewhere along the way.
15. GABON: A West-Central African country, sharing a border with Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been a preferred destination to many Eastern Nigeria road travellers for a very long time. Just get to Cameroon by road and you’re in Gabon.
16. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Nigerians are well-known as roughed travellers. Travelling to Congo DR is not child play, but many Nigerians do travel to the country by road. Get to Gabon and find the motor park, you’re in the country of the Kabillas.
17. NIGER: Nigeria’s northern neighbour can boast of being one of the busiest border-road crossings in Nigeria (after Seme in the South West). Businessmen using Maradi to Jibia Katsina State or Illela, in Sokoto State moving very frequently day and night. It is easy to conclude that road transport is their only means of survival. You cannot prescribe any other means of transportation from Katsina to Maradi or Niamey.
Most local travellers taking off from the border town of Jibia, prefer taking the popular Mandarufa or the Secondary School bye-pass route to Maradi, instead of travelling to the main border at Magama to Niger.
Furthermore, travelling by road from Nigeria to Niger is gaining popularity due to human traffickers using the Niger route to carry out their illegal activities.
18. CHAD: Travelling by road from Lagos, Abuja, or Kano to N’Djamena, Chad is so common and popular with Business people transiting to other Central and Northern African countries and beyond. If you’re going on holiday to the Island country of Seychelles, to cut the cost of transportation, you have the option of going to N’Djamena by road and take a flight from there.
Many travellers going to Sudan and Egypt by road used Chad as their transit point.
19. LIBYA: In the past, it will sound strange that travelling by road from Nigeria to Libya is practicable, nowadays things have changed, due to mass migration from Africa to Europe, young people are now travelling by road very often from Nigeria to Libya using the famous Agadez – Niger route.
This is not recommended, I called it a deadly route that should be avoided by all means. Human traffickers continue to move people from Nigeria to Libya and many young people are perishing along the way. Please if they ask you to go, refused, because it’s a very dangerous route and the outcome could be slavery or death. For anyone making a living transporting people through this route please stop it. You may not end up well.
20. SAUDI ARABIA: This may be strange but true, it has been in practice for a very long time. Not well to do pilgrims and lovers of adventures who are strong do travel by road from Nigeria annually to Mecca for holy pilgrimage yearly to fulfil a dream and also to make an important religious obligation. Hajj.
They set out early every year, perhaps three months before the commencement of Hajj. Travelling by road from Nigeria to Chad and continue to Sudan towards the River Nile in Egypt. After a long interval in Egypt, the Pilgrims will cross the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia.
Any strong and determined person can do it. I really admire their courage and belief. Whenever I came across any of these strong guys I usually listen attentively to their wonderful road experience.
CONCLUSION ON 20 COUNTRIES NIGERIANS CAN TRAVEL TO BY ROAD
These are the most 20 Countries Nigerians can travel to by road, you are free to add your own.
Importantly, travelling by road remains the cheapest and the most exciting. It enables the traveller to sight seen, interact, or take pictures along the way. It is a very flexible mode of transport, a traveller can cancel or set out without much preparation and costs. No much preparation or advanced booking.
The downside of road travel is that it could be very dangerous. Vehicles breaking down in a lonely or isolated area. Arm robbers and kidnappers attack along the way.
All the same, road transport remains the most popular mode of transport.
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