In 2024, Lagos and Abuja airports processed a combined 71,802,405kg of mail movement, with imports accounting for 67,039,694kg (93.4%) and exports 4,762,711kg (6.6%). Lagos dominated with 71,670,101kg, while Abuja managed only 132,303kg, a percentage difference of 99.8%. This highlights the concentration of mail movement in Nigeria’s primary airports.
Among the country’s five major international airports, Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu, only Lagos and Abuja recorded meaningful mail activity. Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu handled negligible volumes, a trend mirrored by declining cargo and passenger traffic. Lagos continues to be the logistical hub, while Abuja serves as a smaller secondary gateway.
3-Year Mail Movement Data
Historical data shows this concentration is persistent. In 2023, total mail at Lagos and Abuja was 71,234,596kg, with Lagos handling 67,603,250kg of imports (95%) and 3,468,260kg of exports (5%), while Abuja recorded 84,327kg of imports (51%) and 78,906kg of exports (49%). Lagos’s volume exceeded Abuja’s by over 99%, emphasising the skew toward Lagos.
In 2022, the pattern was even more pronounced. Lagos managed 76,238,625kg (99.9%) of total mail, compared with Abuja’s 102,522kg (0.1%). Imports comprised 70,422,531kg (92.2%), while exports were 5,918,615kg (7.8%). The dominance of Lagos has been consistent, reinforcing its role as the central hub for mail movement.
This concentration mirrors broader aviation trends. Smaller airports have struggled to maintain volumes, reflecting limited flights, infrastructure constraints, and reduced commercial activity. Meanwhile, Lagos benefits from strong connectivity, proximity to key commercial centres, and robust postal systems, attracting most of the country’s mail movement.
Year-on-year trends show stability in Lagos’s dominance. Total mail movement rose slightly from 71.2 million kg in 2023 to 71.8 million kg in 2024, with imports continuing to outweigh exports. Abuja’s activity remains marginal, highlighting the ongoing centralisation of mail movement in Lagos.
Experts note that as e-commerce grows, Lagos’s lead in mail movement is likely to expand further. Meanwhile, smaller airports, such as Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu, continue to lag behind, echoing trends in cargo and passenger traffic. The concentration of mail movement underscores Lagos’s importance as Nigeria’s logistics and aviation hub.
While there is no official statistical explanation for the skew, the figures suggest that efforts to balance mail distribution across airports could improve efficiency nationwide. Lagos and Abuja are expected to remain the primary gateways for international movement of mail in the foreseeable future.
