Contrary to concerns expressed in some reports, the Turkish Embassy in Nigeria has clarified that Nigerian passport holders are not prohibited from obtaining a visa. According to allegations that surfaced on Thursday, Nigerian passport holders no longer enjoy various benefits from Ethiopia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, including e-visas, visa-on-arrival, and outright passport difficulties.
To be more precise, Nigerian passport holders are no longer able to easily obtain Turkey’s e-visa—a procedure that was previously flawless. Newsmen were informed by Wunmi Evelyn, the personal secretary to the Turkish ambassador to Nigeria, that Nigerian passport holders are not prohibited from obtaining a visa.
“It is common knowledge that any updates to a nation’s policies, procedures, or rules are formally reported to the relevant foreign ministries, with the embassies issuing statements or announcements in response.” The secretary clarified that each case is considered individually when evaluating visa applications, citing particular situations in which petitioners were turned down.
Although each application is reviewed on an individual basis, applicants who have previously been denied a visa should try to improve the quality of their application and correct any errors found in their initial submission, provided that no evidence of fraud or falsified documents has been found.
She continued, “In addition, he/she should update the documentation and refrain from providing outdated versions of necessary supporting documents.” This comes after the Henley Passport Index ranked Nigeria’s passport as one of the least powerful in the world. Nigeria was rated 90th in the world in 2023, and just 46 out of 227 places in the world allowed entry without a visa.
Only the passports of the Congo, Eritrea, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia rank higher than Nigeria’s, which is tied for fifth worst in Africa. Amb. Eche Abu-Ode, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson, has not yet made a formal statement on the matter.
