NIGERIA’S diminished stature in the comity of nations reflects in the global ranking accorded its passport and the travel document holder. This is reinforced by the recent global travel data from the 2024 Henley Passport Index, which highlights the stringent access and mobility restrictions for its citizens.
President Bola Tinubu should evaluate and invest in Nigeria’s perception management. He should combat corruption, improve the various developmental indices, tackle insecurity, and improve living standards to curb the pull-and-push factors of irregular migration.
In the assessment, Nigeria is ranked 92 out of 199 passports and 227 destinations. Its citizens can only access 45 countries without restrictions. It shares this abysmal profile with Lebanon and Myanmar.
However, the country gained a marginal advancement in the previous years, as the passport improved from 103rd in 2021 to 98th in 2022 and 97th in 2023. This is inadequate.
Conversely, its continental counterparts, South Africa (47), Botswana (56), Papua New Guinea (59), Namibia (61), Lesotho (63), and Eswatini (64) are faring better in the rankings.
The index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association. The data evaluates the visa access required for passport holders, such as No Visa Required, Visa on Arrival, Visitor’s Permit, or Electronic Travel Authority.
The report stated that Africans are constricted by discriminatory restrictions due to pervasive poverty and poor per-capita income in their countries. The limited economic mobility imposed on their countries is also due to illegal overstays, the low rate of return and readmission of Africans illegally present in Europe, and the strength of the passport.
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