Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Imagine arriving at an airport with your backpack on, and your luggage in tow, without anyone trailing you and saying: “My chairman sir, you no go drop something?” Imagine pushing a trolley through the terminal without being approached by unsolicited helpers expecting a tip before they have even offered a service. Imagine making your way through the arrival hall without anyone stopping you to ask what you have to declare. Now, return to reality. Welcome to the Nigerian airport, where the ideal traveller's experience remains just that. At most of the country's airports, touting, begging and subtle forms of extortion are among the first experiences many passengers encounter.
Despite repeated efforts by the authorities to change the situation, especially at the international terminals, these sharp practices persist, leaving even international visitors with an unfavourable first impression of Nigeria. One such traveller was American travel vlogger Tommy El Forastero, better known as Sabbatical Tommy, who complained bitterly about his experience of visiting Nigeria for the first time in 2021. Tommy, who lamented that personnel at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, demanded money at different points, told his more than 500,000 followers that MMIA was “extremely corrupt.” In a video posted on his YouTube channel, the travel blogger said his encounters with some individuals at the facility made him conclude: “I have been around the world and I have never seen anything like this. I mean, it is extremely corrupt. Picture corruption. The Nigerian airport, the Lagos airport, is that very definition of corruption that would pop up in a dictionary. Literally everywhere.”
Four years later, many travellers say little has changed. About 16 months ago, specifically on the evening of March 26, 2025, a Vanguard reporter visited the international wing of the MMA in Lagos to obtain the views of arriving passengers on their airport experience. Harassment and corruption topped the list of complaints. One of them, a fair-complexioned young man who declined to have his name published, had just arrived from the United Kingdom. As he walked towards the taxi park after exiting the terminal, he said: “Honestly, my experience at the MMIA upon arrival is terrible. It is obviously poor. In fact, I just saw a man harassing a woman. The man was calling himself the woman's boss, saying he could do anything to her and nothing would happen. There was no respect for the woman's dignity. He acted as though there was no official channel to report the woman if she did anything wrong.”
Another traveller, who gave his name simply as Chuwkunalu, said: “Some of the immigration staff are corrupt. They treat people differently based on class. I saw them giving white people preferential treatment while we stood in a long queue. All they want from you is money. They keep asking: ‘oga, wetin you bring come for us?’”
Travellers are not alone in thinking this way. At the third edition of Naija7Wonders Conference, titled 'Detty December: The Lessons and Impact,' acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Akwa Ibom state-owned airline, Ibom Air, George Uriesi, lamented that despite recent investment in airport infrastructure at MMIA, the experience is still disappointing. Speaking virtually at the event, he said although an airport ought to give an excellent first impression about a country, it is not the case in Nigeria.
A female Nigerian based in the United States, Mrs Charles, explained her disappointment at what begging by airport staff, particularly security officials, has made of Nigeria's image in the eyes of her foreign friend. She recalled how her British friend visited Nigeria in January 2025 for her mother's burial and left with an unfortunate impression of the country. “Upon arrival, while making our way through the terminal and undergoing the usual airport checks, several people approached us, asking for money,” she said. “To my dismay, my British friend found the situation amusing. She laughed and teased me, questioning why my people would behave in such a manner, begging openly despite being in an official uniform under the government's employment.”
For years, both industry stakeholders and travellers have voiced frustration over the Customs inspection points within the Murtala Muhammed International Airport terminal. Stakeholders have criticised these manual checks by security agencies, tagging them as outdated and intrusive, while passengers often describe them as a breeding ground for extortion. On Monday, October 20, 2025, drama played out at the Senate in Abuja when the Senator representing Imo West, Osita Izunaso, called on the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, to caution officials of the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, and other uniformed personnel at airports against begging air travellers for money. The lawmaker described the behaviour of some airport officials as a national embarrassment, saying it undermines Nigeria's image before foreign visitors and investors.
In April 2025, as part of ongoing efforts to curb touting, extortion, and unnecessary delays caused by multiple manual checks at Nigerian airports, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said the federal government had approved the implementation of the "National Single Window Project" as part of measures to address the challenges. The Minister said the Project would automate customs clearance, cargo examination, and other processes at the nation's seaports and airports. However, progress has faced strong resistance, particularly from security agencies.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has repeatedly expressed its disdain for begging and any other form of touting within the airport. In December 2025, FAAN warned that any official found engaging in extortion or “corporate begging” would be made to face disciplinary action, stressing a zero-tolerance policy on unethical conduct. In July 2026, FAAN threatened to revoke the operating licences of businesses and concessionaires linked to airport touting and extortion. The authority said internal investigations revealed that the individuals engaging in these illicit activities are actually internal staff of agencies and concessionaires, adding that these illicit activities are actually being encouraged by passengers.
Despite the repeated promises and threats of sanction, the experience of many travellers suggests that the problem remains deeply entrenched. The phrase “my chairman sir” has become a symbol of the casual, almost institutionalised, culture of begging and extortion that greets passengers the moment they step into a Nigerian airport. Until the authorities move beyond promises and take decisive, sustained action, the Nigerian airport will continue to be a place where the first impression is one of corruption, harassment, and exploitation.
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