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Nigerian passport ranked among top ten worst travel documents globally
The value of the Nigerian passport has remained stagnant in the bottom ten.
It is the tenth worst travel document globally, ranked 191 out of 199 countries, according to VisaGuide’s World Passport Index.
The ranking revealed that, as of April, the passport of the so-called giant of Africa is accompanied by countries like North Korea (192), Iraq (193), Libya (194), Sudan (195), Pakistan (196), Afghanistan (197), Syria (198) and Somalia (199).
The index is a passport ranking system that uses the Destination Significance Score (DSS) to evaluate and rank the passports of countries and territories based on various factors to determine their strength and assign a unique value to each passport.
The ranking also revealed that the Singaporean passport is the strongest in the world, while the Italian passport is second, Spanish is third, French is fourth, and German is fifth.
The report said, “To reach a unique ranking, we assign a value, which we call Destination Significance Score (DSS), to each travel destination.”
It added, “A unique DSS value is assigned to each destination based on the entry policy it enforces on the passport, GDP, Power Index, Tourism Index and Human Development Index (HDI), among other factors. The DSS is multiplied with the value of the visa requirement of the destination country toward the selected passport holders.”
Other factors are visa-free travel, electronic travel authorisation, visa on arrival, electronic visa (e-visa), embassy or other government-approved visas, passport-free travel, and banned entry.
It also noted that since destination countries are each assigned a unique DSS, “being able to travel visa-free to a destination with a higher DSS gives the selected passport a higher value than having visa-free access to a country with lowed (sic) DSS.”
“This results in a more accurate ranking for each passport,” stated the index.
It also mentioned that after all factions were calculated, each passport had its unique value, with no two countries having the same number of “visa-free” destinations.
In January, the Henley Passport Index listed the Nigerian passport among the worst 10 performing travel documents worldwide. Using travel data collected from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the ultimate factor considered when evaluating passports is the number of countries the holder can enter without requiring a visa.
The Nigerian green passport was ranked among the world’s bottom 10, alongside insecurity-battered Libya, Somalia, Syria and Afghanistan ranking last, according to the 2024 report of the Henley Passport Index.
Nigeria, together with Iran, Lebanon and Sudan, ranked 95th.
Bearers of these passports can only access 45 countries.
Nigeria dropped many positions below South Africa, ranked 53rd, as its passport bearers can enter 108 nations easily without the hassles of obtaining a visa.
Burundi, Liberia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Congo Brazzaville ranked higher than Nigeria, evidencing the continued erosion of Nigeria’s credibility with its international peers.
Other African nations, including Ghana, which placed 76th, Benin Republic 79th, Togo 83rd, Nigér Republic 85th, all have better rankings than Nigeria.
Last year, Nigeria ranked 180th of 199 nations and has consistently ranked lower in previous years.
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Edo To Get First Lady As Gov Okpebholo Reportedly Set To Quit Bachelorhood
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
December 24, (THEWILL) – Barring any last minute change of heart, the governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, is allegedly set to marry his side chick, a California-based lady, Jennifer, the daughter of Sharon Ogaga, who is a native of Auchi and is believed to be in her 30s.
THEWILL reports that the marriage is scheduled to be held in Potter Ranch, California, in January 2024, while Aso ebi for the event is being distributed to friends of the bride for a fee around America, Europe and Africa, the letter of invitation only identifies Jennifer, but does not mention the identity of the husband-to-be, in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to mask governor Okpebolo’s identity and shield him from the controversial move.
What is weird is that Jennifer and her family are being coy with the identity of the man she is marrying.
One of THEWILL’s sources, however, has a direct confirmation that Governor Okpebholo is the “husband-in-waiting.”
“They are only telling people that Jennifer is getting married. They are not revealing the identity of the man. It is obvious they are hiding something, probably they don’t want distractions to taint the ceremony,” one of the sources said.
THEWILL does not know the status of Okpebholo’s current marriage to Blessing Okpabi Okpebholo, the mother of his two daughters, who was a no-show during his inauguration as governor.
It, however, appears that their marriage is over because it is illegal to be married to more than one person under the laws of the United States.
According to one of our sources, Senator Adams Oshiomhole allegedly hooked Jennifer up with the governor.
The governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Osiobughie Okhuemoi, said he was unaware of the development when THEWILL contacted him for comments a few days ago.
THE WILL
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WATCH moment Tinubu hails FCT minister for his doggedness, sterling performance
President Bola Tinubu has described the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, minister Nyesom Wike as a performing and dogged technocrat.
Naijablitznews reports Tinubu made this assertion during his maiden presidential chat on Monday.
The president rounded up by saying “I doff my hat for the performing minister.
Watch clip below:
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