On Thursday, Grandma7shaha, a Tiktoker who provides travel guides, caused a stir on social media after claiming that flying to London from Lagos cost N1.9 million while the same route from Cotonou, Benin Republic, cost N374,000.
The Tiktok user stated that both flights were slated for July 21 and were within the same hour. Her ticket showed that flying from Cotonou was priced at $472, while a flight from Nigeria’s commercial capital would cost $2462.
“For me, it will be a lot easier to go to Cotonou and board the flight since it is visa-free,” she said.
CLAIM: Flying from Cotonu to London is cheaper than flying from Lagos to London.
VERIFICATION: checked Ethiopian Airlines and pre-booked a flight for August 2; one from Lagos, Nigeria, and the other from Cotonou, Benin Republic.
FIJ’s finding revealed that the airline charged N1,555,601 for a Lagos to London trip for economy class.
For Cotonou to London in the same economy seat, the airline charged CFA 769,900.
When it was converted from CFA 769,900 to naira using the Google exchange rate, it showed that CFA 769,900 is about N1,033,593.60, which is still cheaper than the N1,555,601 to fly from Lagos.
VERDICT: It is more expensive flying to London from Lagos than from Cotonou.
