In the most recent global rating of passports, the Nigerian passport has advanced nine positions.
The Nigerian passport improved from 100th to 91st place in the newly released Henley Passport Index for Q2 2023 among the 199 nations and 227 travel locations examined.
Based on the number of places passport holders can visit without a prior visa, the Henley Passport Index evaluates the strength of various national identification documents.
The most recent rating shows that Nigerians have better access to the rest of the world. However, 46 countries are still reachable without a visa or with one obtained upon arrival.
It was gathered that the new ranking may not actually reflect an increase in passport security but rather is a result of other countries losing their previous ranking.
As of June 2022, travelers with Nigerian passports can only traverse 25 countries visa-free.
However, that number rises to 45 destinations when visa-on-arrival or e-visa programs are added.
Nonetheless, the Nigerian passport ranked as the least powerful amongst the 15 countries in the Economic Community of West African States.
The index showed The Gambia, leading the ECOWAS, ranked 72nd, Sierra Leone at 74th, Cabo Verde at 75th, Ghana at 76th, Benin at 78th, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast at 79th, Guinea at 80th, Senegal and Togo at 81st, Niger at 82nd, Mali and Guinea Bissau at 83rd, Liberia at 87th and Nigeria at 91st.
According to the CEO of Henley & Partners, Dr. Juerg Steffen, a fall or improvement in ranking results from several factors, including reciprocity, economic and sociopolitical stability, and tourism.
Ogbole Amedu-Ode is a former Nigerian Ambassador to Singapore. He told our correspondent that an assertive and consistent implementation of Nigeria’s war on drugs and cybercrime would mend the country’s reputation in the global community.
He said, “The offshoot of drug-related crime perpetrated by Nigerians abroad and a low-performing economy has brought us here.
“So, what can we do is strengthen our moral fiber by rigorously implementing regulations that shore up our standing globally.
“We must also ensure that the economy bounces back and becomes robust so well that our people are not voting with their feet. When fewer citizens indulge in criminal activities across international boundaries, and with these other steps I have mentioned, I think we will bounce back. Anything short of this will be a waste of our time.”
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Anthony Akuneme, said more beneficial bilateral agreements with more countries could open doors for Nigerians.
Echoing the observations by Steffen, he said, “It is a function of reciprocity. If one country agrees that my citizens can come without needing a visa, I, too, will extend the same gesture to them.”
