Among all types of transport, transportation by road has been the most popular, because of its affordability, easy accessibility to all class of people, less preparation before embarking, no prior booking etc.
In this article, a list of countries you can travel to by road as a Nigerian will be listed shortly.
Though traveling by road is cheap and easy to access, it also has some disadvantages such as accidents, kidnapping, vehicle breaking down in an isolated area, armed robbery etc. Traveling by road could be a wonderful experience depending on where you’re going to, your mission and the mode of transportation conveying you. It’s an opportunity to explore the beauty of nature and culture. Most people using road transport in transiting border crossing most of the time has got no alternative, to them it’s the only option.
Below are 20 countries Nigerians can travel to by road.
1. Benin republic: it is located at the western side of Nigeria, travellers from the south west to the northern states of Nigeria go to Benin republic daily and frequently regardless of the border bottleneck.
2. Togo: from Mile two motor park in Lagos, you can get a direct vehicle going to Lome, Togo. Many Nigerian traders prefer to get their goods from Togo that Benin republic because of the low tax rate in Togo not minding the long distance.0
3.Ghana: many Nigerians go to Ghana by road because of the kind of business they engage in. Nowadays there are many luxurious buses plying Lagos-Accra route daily.
4.Ivory coast: the most popular motor park plying Abidjan is in Ejigbo town in south west. Travellers got so used to the park because it was so popular and reliable. There are other alternatives around Nigeria now for travellers traveling by road to Ivory coast.
5. Burkina Faso: to get to Ouagadougou from Lagos, if going in a private vehicle is more easier but most travelers go by public transit, so they go through Ivory coast or Northern Ghana. Nowadays, going to Ouagadougou from Ghana is increasingly popular.
6. Liberia: As a result of the Liberia civil war and Nigeria’s involvement in the conflict, many business men travel by road to the country conveying essential items needed by the unfortunate Liberian people, thereafter, road transport to Liberia became popular. You can easily get direct commercial vehicle to Monrovia from Lagos as a result this.
7. Sierra Leone: A cheaper way to get to Sierra Leone by road from Nigeria is from Mile two motor park in Lagos, you can take a luxurious bus or car directly from Lagos to Freetown within 24hrs.
8.Guinea: You can easily get to Guinea from Nigeria through Ivory coast, Liberia or Sierra Leone. Though it’s your choice to decide which of the routes to follow but Sierra Leone would be most suitable.
9.Guinea Bissau: You can get to Conakry and make an easy connection to Bissau while coming from Lagos by road. You have free access being a member of ECOWAS but even non-members won’t be hindered so long they can present their valid documents.
10.Senegal: Senegal is a country that became famous because of its tall and beautiful people. Nigerians in the 70s travelled to Senegal mainly by road, and Senegal’s bread being a first-class west African snack was the finest gift to adults and children. It’s a must for travellers to return with it whenever they travel there. Currently, you can travel directly from Lagos to Dakar by road.
11. The Gambia: The country is well known by Nigerian travellers because it’s an English-speaking country. It is the country of Mr Dauda Jawara. One can travel directly from Lagos to Banjul.
12.Mali: Mali a sub-saharan African country is easier and cheaper to travel to by road through Northern Nigeria. The famous Katsina-Maradi route is still in operation currently regardless of the hiccups on the way. Malians are well-known road travellers from the olden days and Nigerians follow their footsteps.
13.Cameroon: It’s located at the eastern part of Nigeria, inhabitants at the east and North travel there very frequently by road and as such do not believe that there are alternative means of going to Cameroon from Nigeria.
14.Equatorial Guinea: This is a small coastal oil-rich country where Nigerians travel to for businesses and family reunion.
15.Gabon:To the eastern Nigeria inhabitants, they can travel by road to Cameroon then Gabon. Gabon is a west-central African country sharing border with Cameroon, Equatorial guinea and Democratic republic of the congo.
16.Democratic republic of the congo: Nigerians can travel by road to Gabon, then find the motor park where they can board a vehicle going to DR Congo.
17.Niger: Nigeria’s neighbor to the north. Business men using Maradi to Jibia Katsina state or Illela in sokoto state moving very frequently both day and night. It’s easy to conclude that traveling by road is their only means of survival. Travellers taking off from border town of Jibia prefer taking the popular Mandarufa or secondary school bye-pass route to Maradi instead of travelling through the border at Magama to Niger.
18.Chad: Nigerian business Men travel by road from Lagos, Abuja or Kano to N’Djamena, Chad and other central and Northern African countries and beyond. Many travellers going to Egypt and Sudan by road uses Chad as their transit point.
19.Libya: Back then traveling by road from Libya to Nigeria sounded odd but now things have changed, although it’s not a safe thing to practice because of the dangers on the road, travellers tour the main Agadez-Niger route, this is a deadly route and many people have lost their lives plying this route.
20.Saudi Arabia: Nigerian pilgrims who are not well to do travel annually by road from Nigeria to Mecca to fulfill their religious obligation; Hajj
They set out early every year perhaps three months before Hajj, they travel 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.