The Nigerian passport has fallen 38 places from 62nd position in a global passport ranking done by Henley Passport Index in the last 17 years.
According to the Henley Passport Index, which ranks passports according to the number of countries their holders can access visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival programme, the Nigerian passport now ranks 100th in the world.
The report shows a steady decline in strength amongst the 199 countries and 227 travel destinations studied although the Nigerian passport gained access to 11 more destinations on visa-free or visa-on-arrival, an increase to 46 countries from the 35 countries it had in 2006
However, Nigerians cannot access over 181 travel destinations without a visa, visa-on-arrival or e-visa arrangement and as at September 2022, travelers with Nigerian passports can only traverse 25 countries visa-free.
The Henley Passport Index report is based on data from the International Air Transport Association and its rankings are based on factors like country’s efforts to strengthen its diplomatic relations with other nations and its efforts to modernise its visa processes and improve security measures at its borders.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Immigration Service via its spokesperson, Amos Okpu has said it is not concerned with the ranking of the passport rather it is concerned with how the passport will meet up with international standards.
“While we appreciate the work done by Henley & Partners, we are more concerned with deepening our passport technology to meet up with the standards of the ICAO; ensuring that our passport complies with ICAO guidelines.”
“This ranking is based on passport admissibility. And that is largely a function of mutual understanding, reciprocity among countries which does not necessarily reflect the true strength of a passport. A good example is the European Union and the ECOWAS,” he concluded.
African countries like Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Cape Verde, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique , Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe offer Nigerians visa-free, visa-on-arrival and e-visa access.
Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Fiji, Micronesia, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are countries outside Africa that do same.