Lagos.Cool Editorial
Ikeja to the airport is barely a journey at all — Murtala Muhammed sits inside Ikeja, so the two are 5-8km apart depending on which corner of Ikeja you start from. Off-peak, the drive from Ikeja GRA or Allen Avenue to the terminals is 15-20 minutes. The catch is entirely traffic: the airport road and the Oshodi-Apapa approach can seize up without warning, so even this tiny hop needs a buffer when a flight is involved.
Because it is so short, ride-hailing is the obvious choice and cheap by Lagos standards — a Bolt or Uber from anywhere in Ikeja is a small, predictable fare, and worth it for the door-to-terminal certainty with luggage. Danfo and keke run the local roads toward the airport junction for a fraction of the price, which is fine for a light, unhurried trip but leaves you finishing on foot or on a short bike into the terminal. Hotel shuttles serve many of the Ikeja business hotels and are the smoothest option if your hotel offers one.
The advice writes itself: distance is not your enemy here, the airport road is. Give yourself far more time than the map suggests, especially in the evening peak and the rains, and prefer a car you can track over a danfo relay when a boarding time is on the line. For Ikeja residents and the many who stay in Ikeja hotels precisely for this proximity, it is the easiest airport run in Lagos — as long as you respect the traffic.