The credit registers of local Nigerian airlines are beeping away, as travellers besiege the local wing of the MurtalaMuhammed Airport in Lagos for trips to destinations across the country, following a lull last week, caused by security fears around the presidential election.
Travellers thronged the airport yesterday, apparently opening the Easter holiday rush.
There is a four day work free stretch, as today (Friday) and next week Monday are public holidays, with the weekend coming in between.
The busiest destination was Abuja, and some observers said many of the travellers on that route would be politicians and business people starting to position themselves around president elect, Muhammadu Buhari and his APC party, for relevance in the in-coming administration which will be inaugurated on May 29.
A traveller who identified himself as Kolade, said he was travelling to Abuja with some friends on the invitation of some people in one of the political parties. Some others claimed they were returning to their bases to celebrate Easter after they ‘discovered that the election was not followed by violence’.
The jam of travellers in the departure halls was replicated in the vehicular build-up on the roads leading to the airport.
Sade Williams
