Nigerian Passport ranked the Weakest in West Africa and 98th Globally: FG reacts

A new report by the Henley Global Passport Index has ranked the Nigerian passport as the least powerful among the 15 countries in the Economic Community of West African States. The countries include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte D'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

Henley globally also ranked Nigeria’s passport below South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Namibia, Malawi, Uganda, Morocco, Rwanda, Chad, Algeria, Burundi, and Congo.

The ranking which is based on citizens' freedom of movement across different countries further revealed that the Nigerian passport is in 98th position out of 199 countries.

West African countries' passport ranking.

Here's the list of countries in the ECOWAS region ranked by the number of visa-free locations they offer, as per the report:

1.     Gambia: 68 visa-free locations

2.     Cabo Verde: 65 visa-free locations

3.     Ghana and Sierra Leone: 64 visa-free locations

4.     Benin: 60 visa-free locations

5.     Burkina Faso: 57 visa-free locations

6.     Senegal and Ivory Coast: 56 visa-free locations

7.     Guinea: 55 visa-free locations

8.     Togo: 54 visa-free locations

9.     Niger and Mali: 53 visa-free locations

10. Guinea Bissau: 52 visa-free locations

11. Liberia: 49 visa-free locations

12. Nigeria: 46 visa-free locations

Speaking with Arise Tv on Friday, February 10, the Managing Partner Uk/Nigeria of Henley and Partner Group, Stuart Wakeling, described the ranking as very important. He added.: “It is a very important ranking because it shows the ability of the citizens of that nation to guide you on how many countries they can travel to visa-free or visa upon arrival. “It is pretty much every single country on the planet and it analyzes destinations that passport holder country has in association with another country.”

Nigerian government reacts:

Anthony Akuneme, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS), explained that the ranking is based on reciprocity for access to countries, Punch reports. He further stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working to establish more favorable bilateral agreements, which may result in more opportunities for Nigerians to travel.

According to him, an assertive and consistent implementation of Nigeria’s war on narcotics and cybercrime would mend the country’s reputation in the global community. Immigration confirms Nigerians can get an international passport for N26,000, and lists how to report officers Meanwhile in another report, the Nigeria Immigration Service had urged Nigerians to stop giving money to officers when applying for an international passport.

According to NIS, it is not only criminal on the part of the applicants but also wrong for officers to demand money to facilitate the process.

Legit.ng had also earlier reported on how, in very simple steps, Nigerians can apply for an international passport sitting at home.

Source: Legit.ng