The Corpers’ Journey Advocacy Network (CJAN) and the As- sociation for Students’ Social Welfare (ASSW) have called on the Federal Government to introduce structured student airfare policies and review aviation taxes, warning that rising air travel costs are increasingly limiting access to education and skills development.

This was contained in a joint press statement signed by Taiwo Ajayi, Founder of CJAN; Boluwatife Adedokun, Executive Director of CJAN; Boluwatife Fakore de Adedoyin, Community Outreach Coordinator of CJAN; and Victor Adetolaju, Founder and National Coordinator of ASSW.

In the statement, which was made available to Saturday Telegraph in Osogbo, on Friday, the organisations urged the federal government and aviation regulators to prioritise affordable air travel for students, de- scribing mobility as critical to education, research collaboration and national development.

They called for clear and enforceable student airfare frameworks covering both domestic and international routes alongside a comprehensive review of what they described as the heavy tax burden on the aviation sector, which they said continues to push ticket prices upward.

While acknowledging recent airline-led student discount initiatives on select international routes, including those offered by Air Peace, the groups stressed that such dis- counts remain voluntary corporate promotions and are not guaranteed or consistent.

“Students cannot plan their academic futures on the basis of temporary promotions,” the groups said, noting that current dis- counts depend on airline discretion, route availability and time-bound policies.

Highlighting the scale of the challenge, CJAN and ASSW referenced data showing that more than 90,000 Nigerians study abroad annually with billions of dollars spent on foreign education each year.

Domestically, they not- ed that rising airfares are affecting students travelling for admissions processes, academic conferences, industrial training, competitions and research activities.

Speaking on behalf of the groups, Taiwo Ajayi, Founder of CJAN, said that student mobility should be treated as a national investment rather than a luxury.

“When students are denied access to opportunities because of high travel costs, Nigeria loses innovation, research output and human capital growth.