The Turkish Embassy in Nigeria has debunked claims suggesting that Ethiopia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates had revoked certain privileges for Nigerian passport holders, such as visa-on-arrival, e-visa, and outright passport issues.
Personal Secretary to the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Wunmi Evelyn, clarified in a chat with newsmen that there was no visa ban on Nigerian passport holders.
She said if there will be any update regarding rules and procedures of the policies and practices of any country, these updates are officially notified to the respective foreign ministries, and statements/announcements are issued by the embassies.
The secretary further explained that Visa applications are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, addressing specific instances where applicants faced rejections, adding that applicants are expected to update their documentation and refrain from supplying old versions of required supporting documents.
This clarification came following the ranking of Nigeria’s passport among the world’s least powerful, according to the Henley Passport Index.
In 2023, Nigeria was ranked 90th globally, allowing visa-free admission to only 46 out of 227 destinations.
Despite being Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria’s passport is the fifth-worst in Africa, tied with South Sudan, and only ahead of Congo, Eritrea, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia.