See the list of countries that have banned Nigeria from obtaining visa-on-arrival, others

• Nigerian passport holders are no longer eligible for visa-on-arrival, e-visa, or outright passport issuance in some countries
• At different points in time, Ethiopia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) prohibited Nigerian citizens from obtaining various visa types
• With only 46 countries allowing visa-free travel, Nigeria ranked last among the 20 countries with the worst passports to own in 2023

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over 3-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

Experts have raised major concerns over the perception of Nigerian visas amongst other countries.

Visa-on-arrival, e-visa, and outright passport issuance are no longer available to holders of Nigerian passports in Ethiopia, Turkey, or the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In some countries, Visa-on-arrival, e-visa, and outright passport issuance are no longer available to holders of Nigerian passports. Photo Credit: Izusek
Source: Getty Images

Nigerians are restricted

Nigerian nationals and those of a few other African nations were prohibited from entering Dubai, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in 2022. The Nigerian government has intervened multiple times, but the visa block has not yet been lifted.

The aviation minister, Festus Keyamo, stated that the United Arab Emirates would withdraw its ban on Nigerians in October, but it is unclear if this will actually happen.

Similarly, Ethiopia has refused to go back on its decision to stop providing visas-on-arrival to Nigerian nationals for the past two years.

Beginning in 2022, airlines sent out notices to travellers suggesting that they apply for visas at the Ethiopian embassy in Abuja before departure.

Turkey turned down application

Nigerian passport holders are no longer able to apply for Turkey's e-visa, which was once a simple procedure that citizens appreciate

Bolanle Olukanni, the daughter of former Nigerian Commissioner to Australia between 2011 and 2015, Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni, recently lamented the fact that her parents' visa applications were turned down due to concerns that they might not return.

Olukanni, who expressed her annoyance at possessing a Nigerian passport through her X handle on Monday, claimed that her mother and father, a retired ambassador who spent three years living in Austria, were both refused visas due to concerns about their potential to flee.

She wrote,

“I just want you guys to know that the Nigeria passport has really been bastardised. My father is a retired Ambassador who lived and served in Austria for three years.“He applied for a Schengen visa alongside my mum, and the Austrian embassy denied their visas.”

In a recent interview with BusinessDay, Oritseweyinmi Oritsejafor, a client advisor at Henley & Partners, stated that Nigeria is one of Africa's economic powerhouses and the continent's third-wealthiest nation based on the Africa Wealth Report 2024.

He added that it also serves as a prime example of the range of obstacles to African citizens' freedom of movement.

According to Oritsejafor, Nigerian passport holders can only visit 1.5% of the world's GDP without a visa because their passport only allows entry to 45 locations.

Nigeria took the bottom spot as a country with one of the 20 worst passports to hold in 2023, with visa-free access to only 46 countries.

This is contained in the recently released third quarter Henley Passport Index, which is an authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

The index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the largest, most accurate travel information database – and enhanced by Henley & Partners’ research team.

Nigerians lament as visa-on-arrival fee increases

Legit reported that Nigeria’s visa-on-arrival (VoA) fee is one of the costliest across the continent.

VOA is a facility available to all business travellers and African Union citizens (non-ECOWAS citizens) who plan to visit Nigeria for business or tourism, depending on their nationality.

The programme in Nigeria was introduced by ex-president Muhammadu Buhari four years ago.

Source: Legit.ng