Guess what? It’s almost Christmas time again! Where has this year gone? Time flies whether you’re having fun or not. And as the year goes by, whether we like it or not, our ages increases. For those of you that are thirty-nine, but wish you were twenty-five, you will soon be forty and so on and so forth.

Anyway, what is happening this Christmas time? As usual Nigerians in Diaspora will be getting ready to travel back to Nigeria to see family and friends again. During Christmas season, we remember the story of the birth of Jesus. We hear Christmas carols in shops and everyone seems to be in a ‘giving spirit’. The Christmas season is also a special time in Nigeria , where lots of people at home and abroad celebrate grand occasions like white weddings, traditional weddings, chieftaincy titles, and maybe funerals depending on the culture of your community. There is always something to celebrate in our beloved country no matter how ‘hard’ they say Nigeria is. Thank God for that.

But the problem is that Richard Branson and his colleagues in the airline industry are making this Christmas season a difficult one for our people in Diaspora. Its takes only six hours to Nigeria from London and yet if you are traveling by air one week before Christmas from London , you will be paying more than one thousand pounds with Virgin Atlantic Airways. British Airways is on another level. For those of us that are used to saying, “if one pound is equal to two hundred and thirty naira, therefore one thousand pounds is equal what?” Flying to Nigeria is very expensive for the average person. It’s quite pathetic that Nigeria has always been classified as a ‘third world country’ and yet airlines have made fortunes out of ‘these third world people”.

But the truth is that no matter how much these fares are charged, Nigerians would still purchase them. Apart from spending all that much money to see family and friends, there’s this sense of belonging one feels when the plane touches the ground at Murtala Mohammed international airport in Lagos . Even when you’re going through customs or collecting your luggage from the belt, the queue, the heat (if the aircon is off) brings back memories that we’re back in our native homeland. One may have gone though the year hearing all sorts of negative things about Nigeria , but once you’re in there, you automatically feel ‘at home’. It’s a feeling that cannot be explained. I hope I’m not alone.

So for the simple reason that Nigerians in Diaspora are always willing to travel back at all cost during Christmas time, airfares would always be on the increase. One of the ways to avoid paying too much for an airfare is to try and book your December tickets early enough in the year, but that is if you are sure you will be traveling.  If you did not plan to travel in December and all of a sudden there is an occasion that demands your presence, you may have to look for cheap deals. Flying direct may be ideal for those of us that have panic attacks when the plane ascends and descends. But a non-direct flight may turn out to be cheaper. Look for special offers, collect points, so that you will not feel the pain when its time to pay your fares.

However in your quest to pay less for an air ticket, do not buy from an individual other than the airline itself or a reliable travel agent. You may end up with a fake ticket. If this happens, when you get into Nigeria , you may be unable to fly back. You may be required to purchase fresh one-way tickets after all the hassle you would obviously go through. It will end up been ‘penny wise and pound very foolish’. 

But seriously, routes to Nigeria are carried out everyday by various airlines. So why skyrocket the fares during Christmas season? Even if the airlines decide to cut the price of the tickets in half, they will still make huge profits as more people will now be willing to travel. I have not even started talking about spending money or money you would use to buy things for Ronke in number 8 and Jude in number 10. The money to enter the airplane to start the journey in the first place is too much, Oga Richard and Co.

For those of you that have booked and about to travel these coming weeks, have a safe flight to and fro, so that you can get back to the place, where the struggle never ends.

For those of you that are not traveling for one reason or the other, I pray you have a great Christmas break in the cold winter. For those in London and other bitterly cold places, just try and keep warm. This is assuming your radiator or whatever keeps you warm is in good working condition). E go better.

By Kate Chukwu December 2007

Robot  Villager

# 1 Guess what? It&#...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 04.12.2007 11:49

Adeola Aderounmu  Villager

# 2 Thanks a lot for this post. I love this village square because of the blend of posts. This is quite refreshing and educative. But seriously, does anyone know how Nigerians can travel cheaper to Nigeria during the Yuletide? I mean, Would it have been cheaper if Nigeria has own carrier, say like Nigerian Airways or Lagos Direct? You know, something like that... ....and other bitterly cold places, just try and keep warm This means a lot to me....very human of you! If you will be in Nigeria, I wish you a safe stay. May you come back to London or UK in one piece. Posted by Adeola Aderounmu| 04.12.2007 16:36

nallanah  Villager

# 3 True talk!! Very refreshing and I must add very,very, nostalgic. Kate, I know the feeling you are talking about, it cant be explained. You need to experience it yourself to know. No matter what has happened before or what stories you have heard, the moment you arrive in Naija, you immediately "blend" back in! .......and you get a rush of emotions..."Thank God ,I am HOME"! Suffice to say, I almost, always have a tear in my eye when I have to fly back to the UK. To all in the NVS, travelling home or not, May we all have a wonderful Christmas celebration, and may 2008 bring us all Bountiful Blessings!! Posted by nallanah| 05.12.2007 03:32

salstep  Villager

# 4 Fares to nigeria is expensive cos it is not a tourist destination. Xmas is the only time of the year the airlines make any money out of the route. All airlines are in on the game. Also, i think buying your ticket early is usually expensive as the system quotes u a price based on the period you are travelling. Once nigeria develop its tourism, the ticket pricing will change to reflect this. Destenations like Kenya and south africa cost in the region of £500 all year round. You might even get an all inclusive package with hotel for a little over £600. Posted by salstep| 05.12.2007 03:32

Adeola Aderounmu  Villager

# 5 =salstep;4294969541>Fares to nigeria is expensive cos it is not a tourist destination. Xmas is the only time of the year the airlines make any money out of the route. All airlines are in on the game. Also, i think buying your ticket early is usually expensive as the system quotes u a price based on the period you are travelling. Once nigeria develop its tourism, the ticket pricing will change to reflect this. Destenations like Kenya and south africa cost in the region of £500 all year round. You might even get an all inclusive package with hotel for a little over £600. Thank you for this post. It carries a lot of weight, meaning and implications. You were just a little short of calling Nigeria a perpetually sick country, a dead giant of sort. Posted by Adeola Aderounmu| 05.12.2007 03:40

mulan  Villager

# 6 For those of you that have booked and about to travel these coming weeks, have a safe flight to and fro, so that you can get back to the place, where the struggle never ends. For those of you that are not traveling for one reason or the other, I pray you have a great Christmas break in the cold winter. For those in London and other bitterly cold places, just try and keep warm. This is assuming your radiator or whatever keeps you warm is in good working condition). E go better. Kate, Thanks for this article, but quite nostalgic. I fall in the bolded category and as you can imagine, cold go kill me again like last year, central heating or not. It's even worse since this year I was already dreaming at some point to go home but the airlines compounded all the other reasons why I could not. To those saying Nigeria is not a tourist destination, I think this is irrelevant. Routes to Nigeria by various airlines fly everyday and are full most of the time. The number of Nigerians travelling in and out that country to various destinations may be larger than the number of tourists that go to say Kenya. The airlines IMHO are just exploiting that longing of Nigerians to go home and be close to family at certain periods. Not forgetting that they know that most of the people travelling are rich enough to afford to satisfy this longing... Posted by mulan| 05.12.2007 05:28

.bebi  Villager

# 7 =nallanah;4294969540> To all in the NVS, travelling home or not, May we all have a wonderful Christmas celebration, and may 2008 bring us all Bountiful Blessings!! Iseeeeeeeeeeee:D We go bring plenty from Naija Posted by .bebi| 05.12.2007 06:03

ronkemac  Villager

# 8 "I have not even started talking about spending money or money you would use to buy things for Ronke in number 8 ..." Thank you ojare my sista Kate. Na me be dat o. I go jam all una for MM Airport wen una land wit all my propati. God go bless una, your pocket dem will neva run dry. Amen. Ronke Posted by ronkemac| 05.12.2007 12:01

Kevin obosi  Villager

# 9 YEAH!!! tell me about that wonderfull feeling when that 'Aroplane" touches down at MMA, it's so wonderfull, it's a feeling of 'am home' (I don't Know about You) but for me it's like the whole stress of the west is off my shoulder and am sooooo relaxed like I have no single worries at all, living behind all the "rat race" of the western world. My heart ache starts the moment am airport bound for the UK. I have'n been opportuned to fee l that 'keresi' feeling in the past decade due to my work schedule, sadly my work place has a "NO HOLIDAY IN DECEMBER" policy but hey wetin man go do.....anyway I do hit the ruff n ready city of lagos at least twice a year. Forget all the negative rubbish we hear about 9ja ( It' not that bad) and for those of you heading home this xmas do have a wonderfull time and we hope things starts looking up for our dear 'Obodo' Nigeria from the new year. God Willing. Kevin Posted by Kevin obosi| 05.12.2007 12:22

.bebi  Villager

# 10 =Kevin obosi;4294969698>YEAH!!! tell me about that wonderfull feeling when that 'Aroplane" touches down at MMA, it's so wonderfull, it's a feeling of 'am home' (I don't Know about You) but for me it's like the whole stress of the west is off my shoulder and am sooooo relaxed like I have no single worries at all, living behind all the "rat race" of the western world. My heart ache starts the moment am airport bound for the UK. I have'n been opportuned to fee l that 'keresi' feeling in the past decade due to my work schedule, sadly my work place has a "NO HOLIDAY IN DECEMBER" policy but hey wetin man go do.....anyway I do hit the ruff n ready city of lagos at least twice a year. Forget all the negative rubbish we hear about 9ja ( It' not that bad) and for those of you heading home this xmas do have a wonderfull time and we hope things starts looking up for our dear 'Obodo' Nigeria from the new year. God Willing. Kevin Na wa o,Which kain prison u dey work for so?What if u desperately need to be in Nigeria in onwa December?:confused1 Posted by .bebi| 05.12.2007 12:47

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