The South South zone recorded the highest average waterway transportation fare in July 2024, at N3,572.94, significantly surpassing the national average of N1,403.06.
This information is detailed in the recently released Transport Fare Watch for July 2024 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
According to the data, the average waterway transportation fare in the South South zone experienced a slight 0.26% decline compared to June 2024 and a 2.34% decrease compared to July 2023.
The NBS report also highlighted that the South West zone, with an average fare of N1,361.34 in July 2024, had the second-highest waterway transportation fare among the six geopolitical zones. This represented a slight 0.33% decline compared to June 2024, but a 4.72% increase compared to July 2023.
The North Central zone recorded the third-highest waterway transportation fare in July 2024, with an average of N1,003, reflecting a 1.38% decline from June 2024 but a 2.49% increase compared to July 2023’s figure of N978.65.
The South East zone ranked fourth, with an average fare of N931.04 in July 2024, showing a 0.65% decline from the previous month’s N937.11 and a 0.32% decrease from the N934.04 recorded in July 2023.
The North West zone ranked fifth, with an average fare of N851.03 for waterway transportation in July 2024, while the North East zone recorded the lowest average fare at N779.04.
More insight
The NBS report also provided a comprehensive analysis of the average waterway transportation costs at the state level for July 2024, revealing significant variations across different regions of the country.
Bayelsa State emerged as having the highest waterway transportation fare in Nigeria, with an average cost of N4,569.74. This was closely followed by Delta State, where the average fare was N4,223.66, and Rivers State, which recorded an average of N4,013.38, placing it third in the national ranking.
In addition to these top three, several other states recorded notably high waterway transportation fares in July 2024. Edo State, for instance, had an average fare of N3,138.33, while Cross River State followed with an average of N3,053.65.
Akwa Ibom State also featured prominently, with an average fare of N2,438.89. Ogun State recorded an average fare of N2,121.72, and Lagos State, known for its bustling waterways, had an average fare of N1,649.49.
Conversely, on the lower end of the spectrum, Borno State reported the lowest average waterway transportation fare in the country, with a cost of just N456.92. Gombe State followed, with an average fare of N566.89, while the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, recorded an average of N643.28.
Other states with relatively low fares included Zamfara State, which had an average of N701.11, Abia State at N705.00, Taraba State at N710.33, Yobe State at N730.98, and Kebbi State at N750.56.
