The Nigerian passport has been named among the worst in the world, posing considerable hurdles for Nigerian travellers seeking international mobility.
According to VisaGuide’s most recent World Passport Index, the Nigerian passport ranks 191 out of 199 countries, ahead of North Korea (192), Iraq (193), Libya (194), Sudan (195), Pakistan (196), Afghanistan (197), Syria (198), and Somalia (199).
The ranking will raise concerns about the West African country’s recent efforts to facilitate mobility, such as e-visa programmes.
Meanwhile, the Singaporean passport ranked #1 as the strongest in the world, followed by the Italian, Spanish, French, and German passports.
According to the research, visa-free access, diplomatic relations, and security concerns all played a role in this reduction.
Other considerations include visa-free travel, electronic travel authorization, visa on arrival, electronic visa (e-visa), embassy or other government-issued visas, passport-free travel, and prohibited entrance.
Furthermore, the Henley Passport Index, which takes into account the number of countries that passport holders can enter without a visa, previously ranked the Nigerian passport as one of the lowest-performing travel documents in the world.
This persistently low position underlines Nigeria’s urgent need to solve the fundamental issues harming its passport’s global status.
The top twenty passports in the world are: Singapore, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Finland, Japan, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Czech, Portugal and Poland.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")