In July 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) took a detailed look at waterway fares across Nigeria.
The report showed that while the South-South zone remained the priciest for waterway travel, the Northeast was the most affordable.
The Southwest and North Central zones also saw notable shifts in their fare rankings, highlighting significant regional variations in transportation costs.
In the report, residents were paying an average of ₦3,572.94 for waterway transportation fares, a figure far above the national average of ₦1,403.
In July 2024, the South-South zone, known for its bustling waterways, saw a slight dip in transportation fares.
The average fare fell by 0.26% from June and decreased by 2.34% from the previous year.
Despite this drop, the South-South zone still held the top spot for the highest waterway fares.
Just behind was the Southwest zone, where travelers paid an average of ₦1,361.34.
Although, this marked a modest decline of 0.33% from June, fares were up by 4.72% from July 2023.
This increase placed the Southwest as the second most expensive zone for waterway travel.
In third place was the North Central zone, with an average fare of ₦1,003.
While this represented a 1.38% decline from June, it was a 2.49% increase compared to the N978.65 fare from the previous July.
The Southeast zone, coming in fourth, recorded an average fare of ₦931.04.
This showed a slight 0.65% drop from June and a 0.32% decrease from the previous year’s fare.
The Northwest zone followed with an average fare of ₦851.03.
Meanwhile, the Northeast zone had the lowest average fare at ₦779.04, making it the most affordable region for waterway transportation in July 2024.
Waterway Fares For July 2024
In July 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) unveiled a revealing snapshot of waterway transportation costs across Nigeria.
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The report painted a vivid picture of the varied fare landscape from state to state.
At the top of the list was Bayelsa State, where travelers faced the highest average fare of ₦4,569.74.
Delta State wasn’t far behind, with an average fare of ₦4,223.66, and Rivers State followed closely at ₦4,013.38.
These states led the nation in waterway costs, making travel on their waterways notably expensive.
Not far off from these top three were Edo State and Cross River State, with average fares of ₦3,138.33 and ₦3,053.65, respectively.
Akwa Ibom State also made its mark with an average fare of ₦2,438.89.
Ogun State followed with a fare of ₦2,121.72, while Lagos State, despite its bustling waterways, had a relatively lower average fare of ₦1,649.49.
On the other end of the spectrum, Borno State reported the lowest average waterway fare at just ₦456.92.
Gombe State came next with ₦566.89, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, had an average of ₦643.28.
Zamfara, Abia, Taraba, Yobe, and Kebbi states also reported lower fares, ranging from ₦701.11 to ₦750.56.
This diverse fare range highlights the significant regional differences in waterway transportation costs across Nigeria.
