The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Detty December

  • Wizkid, Davido, Asake top ‘Detty December’ artists

    Wizkid, Davido, Asake top ‘Detty December’ artists

    Nigerian music stars have led a long list of global artists that were mostly streamed on Apple Music during December 2025.

    According to a statement from Apple Music, the listed artists and songs defined Detty December, spotlighting the sounds that powered celebrations, cross-border collaborations and viral moments on the continent.

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    At the forefront were Wizkid, Asake and Davido who emerged as the most-streamed African artists across Sub-Saharan Africa.

    The three giants were closely followed by Young Jonn, Mavo, Seyi Vibez, FOLA, Burna Boy, Gunna, Rema, Drake, BNXN, Himra, ODUMODUBLVCK, DJ Tunez, Olamide, Shallipoppi, and DJ Maphorisa.

    Others on the list include Omah Lay, Black Sherif, Lil Baby, Future, Tems, Ayra Starr, and Dave.

    The statement further highlighted the season’s biggest song as Davido’s ‘Mavo’ and Ecool’s ‘Galorizzy,’ while South African breakout artist Al Xapo claimed the most-identified song on Shazam in December with ‘SNOKONOKO.’

  • Detty December needs systems

    Detty December needs systems

    By Pleasant Ogedengbe

    In Lagos, December behaves like a system. Flights fill. Hotels sell out. Short lets surge. Concert calendars stack. Traffic thickens. Prices move upward. Social media turns into a parade of boarding passes, wristbands, and rooftop videos. At Murtala Muhammed International Airport, arrivals swell during the festive window. The crowd includes residents returning from other states, diaspora returnees, and non-Nigerian visitors chasing the Lagos story. The arrivals hall becomes a corridor of contrasts as people move through the same doors with different purchasing power, expectations, and buffers.

    Detty December is the label attached to this season. “Detty” is widely understood as Nigerian slang derived from “dirty,” meaning indulgent, unrestrained, outside decorum. The origin story is disputed because cultural products attract ownership claims once they begin to generate serious money. In early January, Mr Eazi publicly repeated his claim that he coined the phrase in 2016. Other accounts link the broader festive ecosystem to older December spectacles, such as the Calabar Carnival, founded in 2004 as a tourism play by Cross River State. The contest over who named it matters less than what the naming achieved. A slang phrase became a seasonal brand. A seasonal brand became an economic event.

    The question is what Nigeria is doing with it.

    When Nigerians living abroad return in December, many arrive with foreign currency. In Nigeria’s present political economy, foreign currency functions as leverage. Dollars and Pounds buy speed, access, and flexibility in a market structured by scarcity. Prices that strain residents paid in Naira become manageable for returnees. Short lets that exceed a local household’s annual rent become framed as normal. Tickets priced for a narrow consumer class get absorbed and resold without shame.

    Markets respond to purchasing power. Vendors adjust pricing toward the highest bidder. Landlords and hosts anchor new price expectations. Service providers prioritize clients who can pay instantly and tip heavily. Neighbourhoods temporarily reorganize around returnee consumption. Lagos becomes more responsive to people passing through than to people who live inside it.

    This is the first dichotomy. The inflow appears beneficial because it is visible, and beneficiaries can count the cash. Hospitality gains. Transport earns. Entertainment runs at full capacity. Informal labour sees a burst of income. According to figures cited by Lagos State officials and reported by national media outlets, the 2024 festive season generated over $71 million across tourism, hospitality, and entertainment, with hotels accounting for a substantial share of the revenue. A separate travel industry analysis, drawing on a market report by MO Africa Company, estimated N111.5 billion in Detty December spending and approximately 1.2 million visitors in December 2024.

    Internationally, it projects Nigeria as glamorous, creative, and socially magnetic. Lagos becomes a content factory. Afrobeats, fashion, and nightlife fuse into a clean exportable story. The story travels because Nigeria genuinely has cultural power. Condé Nast Traveler has described Detty December as a month of parties, music, and gridlock that draws diaspora returnees and fuels a festive industry.

    Domestically, Detty December creates room for reputational cleansing. Political elites appear at cultural events. Sponsors and power brokers attach themselves to artists. The aesthetics of celebration create an illusion of national health. Governance failures get pushed out of frame by soft lighting and curated angles. The crowd is dancing, so the country must be fine. Returnees also participate in this laundering, even when their intentions are good. Success abroad gets performed at home through consumption. The performance is then used as evidence that Nigeria works, at least for those with foreign buffers.

    This is why Detty December deserves to be taken seriously. The season shows what becomes possible under concentrated spending without answering why those conditions are absent the rest of the year.

    Nigeria has done this before, at a higher level, with more ambition.

    In 1977, Nigeria hosted FESTAC 77, a month-long celebration that drew thousands of participants from dozens of countries and positioned Lagos as a centre of pan-African cultural power. Whatever one thinks of it, the logic was clear: culture can function as national power when treated as national infrastructure.

    Detty December is a grassroots and private sector successor to that instinct, stripped of state architecture. It is Nigeria’s soft power operating despite Nigeria’s institutions. That is why there should be concrete asks. Nigeria’s problem is not the absence of cultural energy. Nigeria’s problem is the absence of durable systems built around that energy. The government should treat Detty December as a pilot for a year-round tourism strategy. The goal is not more parties. The goal is a broader cultural economy, with structured experiences that attract different kinds of visitors and distribute benefits more widely.

    Evidence supports the urgency. Nigeria continues to lag behind major African tourism destinations, with analysts pointing to insecurity, infrastructure decay, and weak coordination as structural constraints. Global tourism has recovered strongly in the post-pandemic period, with UN Tourism tracking a significant rebound worldwide. Countries that build credible visitor systems will capture that growth. Countries that outsource tourism to vibes will stay behind.

    So what should Nigeria do, concretely, starting from the Detty December base?

    Detty December is currently concentrated in Lagos and a handful of elite circuits. Nigeria needs a calendar that makes it rational to plan a two-week or three-week trip across multiple destinations. A national calendar should list verified events, standardize ticketing norms, and coordinate transport routes. A visitor should be able to land in Lagos for music and fashion, move to Calabar for carnival heritage, travel to a historic city for architecture and museums, and end at a coastal site for nature. Calabar Carnival already demonstrates that Nigeria can sustain a large annual festival tied to tourism aims.  The missing ingredient is integration and continuity. This calendar should be published early, marketed internationally, and linked to diaspora organizations, airlines, and travel platforms. It should be treated like a national product.

    I say this carefully: Lagos traffic is a barrier to tourism. There should be a plan to create December mobility corridors with scheduled shuttles and safe water transport linking major cultural zones, beaches, galleries, and event venues. Publish routes. Ticket them. Police them. Add signage. Use private operators under strict safety and service standards. This alone changes the visitor experience. It also reduces the predatory ecosystem where transport becomes a daily negotiation and a daily vulnerability.

    Nigeria’s festive culture has long roots beyond clubbing. Street processions, masquerade festivals, community carnivals, music as public ritual, church crossover services, weddings as social theatre, family reunions as institutions.  Academic work on African carnival points to how Christian festivals, Atlantic returnee influence, and global cultural circuits have shaped African carnival traditions, including Nigeria’s festival landscape. This history matters because it clarifies that long-form celebration is not a recent invention of the diaspora.

    So the state should stop behaving like Detty December is a nightclub season. It should build programming around heritage. There should be a move to fund and certify curated experiences that run daily during peak season.

    This is how a country converts cultural capital into tourism that lasts beyond a single table

    Tourism thrives on trust. Nigeria’s trust deficit kills repeat visitation. Thus, the government should establish a hospitality and tour guide certification system with a publicly accessible registry. Train guides in safety, history, and customer service. Enforce price transparency standards for licensed operators. Create a tourist hotline that works, with rapid response and multilingual capability. Establish clear penalties for harassment and extortion by officials around tourist zones. These are unglamorous actions, but they are the actions that build credibility.

    Tourism is a risk assessment. Visitors read travel advisories, news cycles, and online testimony. The Guardian’s reporting on Nigeria’s tourism struggles repeatedly returns to insecurity and infrastructure as core obstacles. No branding campaign outshouts fear. The government should designate tourism security zones with accountable policing, body cameras, and clear complaint mechanisms. Partner with private security in a regulated framework. Improve lighting, emergency services, and surveillance around corridors. Make safety visible without making visitors feel militarized.

    Read Also: 10 Nigerians arrested as Spain, Germany crack down on criminal network

    Detty December can coexist with accountability. It can even strengthen accountability if framed correctly. The government should be encouraged to publish an annual festive season public report that tracks visitor numbers, sector revenue, jobs created, and consumer complaints, alongside public improvements delivered. If government officials want to claim credit for Detty December growth, they should also accept performance measurement. Tourism should become a governance scorecard.

    Detty December currently rewards the most extractive forms of spending. Bottles. Tables. Flex purchases that evaporate by morning. The state can change incentives. They can offer tax relief and grants for cultural institutions that expand public programming during the festive season. Provide matched funding for museums, galleries, theatres, and heritage sites that meet standards. Promote these experiences as premium. Make it socially desirable to spend time at a museum.

    Again, tourists chase what is framed as worthy.

    This is the route from Detty December to long-term tourism. Nigeria already has the raw material. It has music. It has fashion. It has food. It has history. It has landscapes. It has a diaspora hungry for connection. It has international curiosity. Nigeria lacks packaging, protection, and policy coherence.

    And yet, Detty December proves something important. Nigeria can attract crowds. Nigeria can generate spending. Nigeria can create cultural magnetism. That means the question is not whether tourism is possible. The question is whether Nigeria is willing to build the systems that make tourism sustainable and fair.

    •Ms Ogedengbe PhD wrote from Florida USA.

  • Six ways to survive January after Detty December spending

    Six ways to survive January after Detty December spending

    December or Detty December as some call it, in Nigeria is synonymous with heavy spending food, gifts, outings, concerts, and travel all add up quickly. By the time January arrives, many people are left with drained wallets, disrupted routines, and financial anxiety.

    The good news is that recovery is possible and it doesn’t have to be painful. With a few intentional steps, you can regain control of your finances and start the year on a stronger footing.

    Here are six practical ways to bounce back after a spending-heavy December:

    1. Create a January budget

    Start by planning your spending for the month. Allocate funds for essentials like food, transport, and bills, set aside something for savings, and include a modest allowance for small treats. A clear budget prevents holiday excesses from spilling into the new year.

    2. Take full stock of your finances

    Review your bank balances, credit cards, and outstanding bills. Knowing exactly how much you spent, and what you owe, is the first step toward financial recovery. You can’t fix what you haven’t assessed.

    3. Prioritise essential expenses

    Separate needs from wants. Focus first on rent, utilities, food, and transportation. Delay non-essential purchases until your finances stabilise and cash flow improves.

    4. Limit credit use

    Avoid using credit cards or loans to patch up holiday overspending. Instead, concentrate on paying down existing debt. Only rely on credit when it’s absolutely unavoidable.

    5. Find small ways to earn extra cash

    Look for quick, realistic ways to boost income—freelance work, selling unused items, or monetising a skill. Even small amounts can make a noticeable difference when you’re recovering financially.

    6. Start a future December fund

    Once things stabilise, begin saving a small amount monthly for future high-spending periods. Even a modest buffer can remove the stress of another Detty December catching you unprepared.

  • How I coined ‘Detty December’ in 2016 – Mr Eazi

    How I coined ‘Detty December’ in 2016 – Mr Eazi

    Singer and entrepreneur, Tosin Ajibade popularly known as Mr Eazi, has revealed that he originated the phrase ‘Detty December’, which has become synonymous with festive celebrations in Nigeria.

    Speaking at his Detty Rave concert in Accra, Mr Eazi said he coined the term after touring the world. 

    He emphasised that the phrase has grown beyond him, stating, “So in 2016, me and my guys invented Detty December. And Detty December is all about going back to your roots, having fun and enjoying life intentionally.

    Read Also: Music superstar Mr Eazi unveils ‘maison rouge’ EP

    “Detty December is bigger than Mr. Eazi. It’s bigger than anybody. Detty December is for all of us”.

    The phrase gained widespread use during Christmas holidays, symbolising a time for fun and revelry. 

  • Detty December: When festive concerts become luxury events

    Detty December: When festive concerts become luxury events

    The yuletide season in Lagos has always been one that every Nigerian resident in the country and diaspora look out for due to the shared excitement and familiar rush of watching their favorite artists perform live.

    However this December is different, the cost of entry has become a significant part of the conversation in a controversial manner.

    Until recently, regular tickets, which were relatively affordable while VIP and table reservations have traditionally been expensive.

    The sudden rise in general admission fees have left many fans questioning who live music is now meant for.

     Before now, regular tickets were sold between N20,000 and N30,000 but now the regular tickets skyrocketed to an all-time high – ranging from N120,000 to as high as N300,000. Reactions on social media and in casual conversations have largely been forged on frustration, shock, and resistance.

    As a matter of fact, many fans now pick just one event to attend stating that they can’t meet up with the financial requirements to attend more concerts while others have decided to stay away entirely.

    An X user said, “I will attend Olamide’s show, I know he will bring Fireboy, Wizkid and Asake to perform.”

    Another user said, “Asake 300k? 300k to stand, lol. All these artists are thinking we dey share money with bandit. Where person wan see 300k.”

    “It’s cheaper abroad and it’s costlier in the country that made you and gave you platform” another X user opined.

    The shift did not happen overnight. Over the past few years, Nigeria’s live music scene has expanded rapidly, with bigger stages, heavier production and increasing international attention. December, in particular, has become a peak period, as returning Nigerians abroad and foreign visitors boost demand for entertainment.

    Industry insiders point to rising production costs as a major factor behind the surge in ticket prices. Sound equipment, lighting rigs, stage design and technical personnel are increasingly sourced at dollar rates, while security, venue rentals and logistics continue to climb.

    For promoters, breaking even now requires a different pricing structure than in previous years.

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    A popular stage manager, Andrawine stated that the cost of setting up events has increased drastically which in turn reflects the prices of ticket sales.

    “Logistics is another huge factor. Moving equipment across cities or countries, freight costs, customs, power supply, generators, fuel, accommodation, rehearsals, and extended setup times all add up quickly. In places like Nigeria, where infrastructure can be unpredictable, production teams often have to create solutions from scratch, which further increases costs,” she said.

    Continuing, he said, “Security, insurance, venue fees, permits, and crowd control have also become more expensive, especially as concerts grow in scale and attendance. Safety is no longer optional, it’s a priority, and rightly so. When you combine all these factors, promoters are left with limited options. To break even or make a profit while still delivering a high-quality experience, ticket prices inevitably go up.

    “So yes, rising ticket prices aren’t just about the artist’s popularity; they reflect the real cost of delivering a world-class production safely, professionally, and at scale.”

    While these points by Andrawine may sound reasonable, fans argue that the jump in regular ticket prices are not. Many believe that the Detty December experience is slowly becoming a luxury only a few can afford rather than mass entertainment.

    “How much be minimum wage? Civil servant no fit branch this kind place but politician’s kids can buy thousands of tickets,” said a self confessed concert attendee via X.

    Another X user, Maxpower, weighed in on the conversation saying,”Okay so let me understand something, after I have streamed all their songs and have made them serious money online I will still pay 300k to stand wey leg go dey pain me de look you dey perform the same song. All the money una don dey make una no fit use am subsidize show?”

    In the same vein, Collins wrote, “Can someone actually explain to me how we went from 5k tickets to 300k.”

    The situation seems to have also affected how audiences discuss attending concerts. Smaller shows and club performances appear to be gaining renewed interest, as fans look for more affordable alternatives.

    For some artists, they didn’t come up with the prices of tickets as investigations revealed that the event organizers are responsible for the pricing. Although the artists also charge the organizers some exorbitant prices which runs into multi million Naira which in turn reflects on the tickets.

    Live music has long been a shared experience, cutting across age, income and social status. As prices climb, there is concern that concerts – especially during the famed Detty December – may become exclusive spaces, accessible mainly to a narrow segment of society.

    Industry observers believe that the December rush itself plays a key role in the increase of ticket prices citing multiple high-profile concerts packed into a short period, demand often outstrips supply, giving organizers room to raise prices.

    However, some promoters believe the market will eventually correct itself if audiences begin to resist high prices consistently, pricing strategies may adjust. Others argue that the industry is simply responding to the reality of the country’s economy.

    The excitement of the season remains but the urge to attend concerts has drastically reduced due to the ridiculous amount required to access concert venues.

    While concerts remain a major part of Nigeria’s cultural calendar, this year’s ticket prices have introduced a new layer to the experience, one that forces both organizers and audiences to rethink the value of concerts.

    As the season gradually exits, it is now more obvious that Detty December concerts are no longer just about the music and festivities, they have become a reflection of broader economic pressures and shifting cultural priorities, raising the question of whether shows can still remain accessible while meeting the demands of a growing industry.

  • Detty December: Unpacking a cultural phenomenon

    Detty December: Unpacking a cultural phenomenon

    • By Dr. Olusola B. Adegbite

    Sir: If, as Heraclitus once mused, one never steps into the same river twice, then Lagos in December is a river in ecstatic flood. “Detty December” that riotous phrase now etched into Nigeria’s cultural lexicon, is both description and incantation: a season when Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital and emotional nerve centre, sheds its week-day grind and dons sweat and sound. To ask what is “detty” about December is to ask what Lagos is, when it remembers itself not merely as a city of survival, but as a city of spectacle.

    Originally, Detty December was an insider slang; streetwise and playful, suggesting that December is “dirty” in the sense of excessive fun, late nights, loud music, and reckless laughter. Over time, the phrase matured into a phenomenon, an annual cultural migration marked by concerts, club nights, beach parties, art fairs, food festivals, and a carnival of human traffic. The Gen Z generation, digital natives with an instinct for virility, seized Detty December and branded it globally, transforming Lagos into a global melting pot of some sort. Instagram stories became travel brochures; TikTok clips became cultural manifestos. When it comes to “Detty December” the message is clear: Lagos in Christmas is not lived quietly.

    Yet Detty December did not emerge ex nihilo. Lagos has always been a city of loud survival and louder pleasure. The city’s identity, restless and electric, has long oscillated between struggle and splendour. Detty December merely ritualised this oscillation, concentrating a year’s worth of deferred joy into 31 feverish days. Christmas, once a modest domestic affair of rice, stew, and church clothes, has been ingeniously reimagined as a public festival of consumption and communion.

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    Economically, the season is a masterstroke. Hotels bloom, airlines rejoice, vendors thrive, and the government, smiling quietly, counts billions of naira in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). Detty December galvanised a $75 million tourism boom for Lagos state in 2024. Clearly, 2025 is poised to surpass that record. Detty December is also a season of return: Nigerians in the diaspora, the self-styled I Just Come Back (IJCB), descend like migratory birds, armed with foreign accents and sentimental longings. In their homecoming, Detty December becomes an emotional bridge, a proof that Lagos, despite its chaos, still calls its children home.

    But every carnival casts a shadow. Lagos, already a city where movement is a metaphysical struggle, becomes almost mythically congested. The recent Lekki traffic snarls, exacerbated by IJCB enthusiasm and relentless events, remind us that excess has consequences. As Thomas Hobbes might have revised it – Detty December traffic is “nasty, brutish, and long.” Detty December complicates an already complicated city, turning joy into gridlock and pleasure into exhaustion.

    Still, Lagos endures. Detty December is satire made flesh: a city laughing at itself, dancing atop its contradictions. It is Lagos insisting, against all odds, that joy is not a luxury but a form of resistance. It is a city affirming life, even when life refuses to be easy.

    •Dr. Olusola B. Adegbite,

    United Kingdom.

  • Detty December: Noble Igwe encourages Nigerians to prioritise family

    Detty December: Noble Igwe encourages Nigerians to prioritise family

    Media personality and fashion entrepreneur Noble Igwe has urged Nigerians to shift their focus from the usual Detty December parties and luxury to reconnecting with family during the Christmas season.

    In a message, Igwe emphasised the importance of spending quality time with loved ones, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

    He encouraged people to return home to spend time with their aged parents, siblings, and loved ones, stressing that memories matter more than money.

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    Igwe said, “Go home, see your aged parents, see your siblings, and spend time with loved ones during Christmas. It does not matter how much you earn; do it when you can and do it for the memories. Nothing is promised.”

    His words have resonated with many Nigerians, especially those in the diaspora and major cities, who often struggle to balance work, travel, and festive excitement with the need to reconnect with home during the holidays.

  • How to celebrate Detty December without overspending

    How to celebrate Detty December without overspending

    Detty December is the time of the year when the streets come alive, parties roll back-to-back, wardrobes get upgrades and every outing feels like an event. 

    The energy is contagious, the excitement is real, and it’s easy to say yes to every invitation. But behind all the fun lies a silent danger: overspending. 

    The real shock comes in January when bills pile up and your account balance looks like it disappeared overnight.

    It doesn’t have to end that way. With intentional planning and discipline, you can enjoy the full excitement of December without stepping into the new year broke or stressed. Here’s a practical guide to help you balance fun and finances.

    1. Know your limits before the festivities begin

    Before the invitations start flooding in, take time to assess your finances. Detty December will tempt you with spontaneous events, sales and travel plans, but the safest way to stay grounded is to set a clear budget.

    Include expenses like gifts, outings, travel, food, drinks, transportation and savings. Stick to your plan and leave a small buffer for emergencies. A realistic budget helps you know when to pause or skip an event.

    2. Avoid impulse buying, especially gifts

    Gift-giving is beautiful but can become financially draining. Don’t let pressure or comparison push you beyond your means.

    Decide who you’re buying for and set a spending limit per person. Consider thoughtful, affordable alternatives like handwritten notes, framed photos or DIY gift boxes. For close circles, try a gift exchange to cut costs.

    3. Track your spending throughout the month

    To avoid the January shock, monitor your expenses in real time. Use budgeting apps, expense trackers or simple spreadsheets.

    Record everything you spend on — food, rides, outfits, tickets, even snacks. Keeping track helps you adjust early instead of panicking at month’s end.

    4. Protect your emergency fund

    Your emergency fund isn’t for Detty December enjoyment. Before the month starts, review your savings goals and ensure you have enough set aside for rent, school fees and other January commitments.

    Resist dipping into your emergency money; you’ll be grateful you preserved it.

    5. Add no-spend days to your calendar

    Designate certain days each week to spend nothing.

    Use these days to rest, meal prep, clean, watch movies or bond with family. No-spend days help balance your finances and curb excessive outings.

    6. Prioritise experiences over expensive outings

    Memorable moments don’t always require big spending. You can have fun through free concerts, house parties, game nights, beach outings, picnics or movie marathons. Choose experiences that give joy without draining your account.

    7. Plan ahead for January

    January comes with heavy financial responsibilities. Prepare early by setting aside money for school fees, rent, transport and subscriptions. If you receive bonuses, resist spending them all — allocate a portion to upcoming obligations.

    Detty December should bring joy, not financial regret. By setting limits, tracking expenses, avoiding impulsive buys and choosing budget-friendly experiences, you can fully enjoy the festive season and still enter the new year confidently.

  • ‘Detty December’: TheCable endorses  GOtv Boxing Night Jam Festival

    ‘Detty December’: TheCable endorses  GOtv Boxing Night Jam Festival

    Leading online newspaper, TheCable, has listed GOtv Boxing Night Jam Festival as one of the standout events to attend in this year’s festive, placing the hybrid boxing and music show among the December’s top entertainment attractions.

    Scheduled for 26 December at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, GOtv Boxing Night Jam Festival blends live professional boxing with musical and comedic performances, a format the organisers, Flykite Productions, explained is designed to appeal to both boxing fans and lovers of urban entertainment. TheCable’s listing highlights the event’s growing reputation as a festive season draw, noting its mix of sport, music and family-friendly ambience.

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    This edition will feature six bouts across weight categories, including the much talked about light heavyweight between Universal Boxing Organisation (UBO) Africa champion, Rasheed “ID Buster” Idowu of Nigeria and Ghana’s  Nii Offei Dodoo.

    Music performances will intersperse the fight schedule, maintaining a festival-style ambience on the night. Last week, the organisers confirmed Afrobeats star, Shoday, as one of the artistes to perform live and stated that they will announce more in the coming days.

    The organisers explained that the event was conceived to deepen Nigeria’s boxing culture while providing end-of-year entertainment for a wide audience.

    TheCable’s endorsement is the latest in a series of media recognitions for the event.

  • Detty December: Bolt announces surge in airport trips

    Detty December: Bolt announces surge in airport trips

    Ride hailing outfit, Bolt, has announced a significant surge in airport trips, signaling increased arrivals of Nigerians in the diaspora, tourists, and holiday travellers into major cities.

    This, the outfit said, is in preparation for the festive period globally celebrated as ‘Detty December’.

    According to internal mobility data from Bolt, airport trips grew sharply between November 20 and December 5, with Lagos recording a 14.9per cent increase and Abuja seeing a rise of 17.56per cent within the period.

    The trend reflects the beginning of one of the busiest travel windows of the year as travellers fly in for concerts, weddings, festivals, nightlife, and family reunions.

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    With more travellers arriving daily, the company says it has ensured increased driver availability around airports, improved pick-up efficiency, and strengthened safety communication for both riders and drivers.

    Head of Regulatory & Policy Africa, Bolt, Weyinmi Aghadiuno, noted that the growth underscores the platform’s role as a trusted mobility partner during peak travel seasons: “We’re excited to see more people coming into Nigeria to enjoy Detty December, and our goal is to make their arrival as smooth as possible. Whether its riders heading from the airport to their hotels, events, or family homes, Bolt remains committed to providing reliable, convenient, and safe mobility throughout the festive season. “This season is all about connection, reuniting with loved ones and experiencing the best of Nigerian entertainment. Bolt is here to help people get to the heart of that experience, starting from the moment they land.”