Nigerian Passport - The global dilemma.
In the last couple of days I have watched from afar how people are accusing a section of the country for tarnishing the image of the country.
But here is the thing, this is not about one single tribe. An average American or European is without a clue on our differences.
A Nigerian is a Nigerian out of Nigeria. In the last two decades, I have had the opportunity to have seen various countries and countless cities and towns across the globe. I stopped counting at 40!
From China to the Philippines, from Taiwan to Nepal, from Bhutan to Tibet, from Vietnam to Russia - name it.
I have encountered various scenarios that would make you question if you are human.
The ONLY thing you have done wrong is being a Nigerian!
In Shanghai in 2004 - I arrived the Pudong airport and I stepped out of the aircraft, there were immigrations officers picking on all Nigerians to line up in one lane for extra checks! Was I embarrassed oh well!
In the city of Mumbai in India in the same 2004, in the hotel I was staying - at 3:30am, police and immigration officers started breaking on doors! Guess what they were looking for? Just Nigerians! Yup!
In Kathmandu, catching a flight to Tibet - I was denied boarding because my Chinese Visa is “fake”! I came in through the same airport two days earlier!!! The only thing wrong here is my passport!
I was in ulaanbaatar, Mongolia - can you imagine a police car following you about town? You practically just got off the flight!!
In Doha, Qatar - I was grounded for 8 straight hours while they validate my passport and residence permit? I was ONLY in transit! They didn’t issued the passport or the permit. The ONLY thing wrong was my nationality!
In Vienna Airport - Austria in 2005, I was only in transit heading to Hong Kong! I do not desire entrance into the country - I spent nearly 20hrs at that airport detained to check my documents! Flight missed and eventually when I was handed my passport back! Stranded and hungry - I asked what the outcome of the check was? The officer said the last man on duty “forgot” to give your passport back? Yup you heard me right!!
Wtf! I deserve an apology! He replied “Haha go to court, f...ing Nigerian is asking for an apology” ! Jesus, I had to find my way to the airline to tell a story! Needless to say I had to make a payment to conclude my last leg of the ticket!
At the Hong Kong airport in 2006. Due to a delay from London, I arrived the airport at nearly midnight and I was originally booked on getting a ferry to Shenzhen in mainland china but the ferry terminal already closed.
A number of Americans were affected too, I later discovered that the airline provided rooms at a nearby hotel for the Americans! Yours truly spent the entire night sleeping rough at the airport! Why not me? Well, I am a Nigerian!
Same Kong Kong airport, I had “Elubo” in my bag! I was made to swallow/taste some of the powder to prove it wasn’t a drug! You would expect them to use a machine right? No, a Nigerian is disposable!
In Incheon, South Korea - I presented my passport, I had three Nigerian Passports stapled together as a result of extensive travel, trust me you don’t want to travel on a virgin or nearly new passport!
Presented the passport to the immigration officer who raised an alarm without asking me any question! A number of officers arrived the scene to speak “English” - alas, I came to Korea with an expired visa! Wtf! How is that possible? I collected a visa from their embassy in Beijing in person? Chai my stepmother has reached here before me!
I collected the passport - obviously, the most recent passport is the only one with blank pages left. The clown on the counter was looking at my previous passports where I had an expired Korean visa on. I opened the recent visa and gave it to them (about 10 officers standing and none of them was taller than 5ft3), I am 6ft2 so I can understand their fear! I was a threat. The media didn’t really help there!
Visa validated and now they are sorry - the ONLY thing that got their attention was the passport and nothing else!
In a rural area in china years back, there was a notice at a local restaurant in English language that goes “Nigerians are not allowed here”! Apparently, our people go in there to eat so much rice than an average human should eat, their business pattern was rice is free and you only pay for vegetables and meat! Our people will go in there and pay like 10rmb for meat then request for nearly 10bowl of boiled rice🙈
I can assure you that living outside Nigeria is more challenging than living in Nigeria! The easiest thing to get is Visa but your entry and living daily is another challenge entirely.
All the above experiences are over a decade and I can guarantee it that things are worse now. Our people are making “waves” in Guangzhou, Bangkok, Malaysia, London, Rome, Spain etc!
Once you present that passport, below are the first thing that comes to the mind of others! God help you!
- Fraud
- Drugs
- Prostitution
- Terrorism
You have a Nigerian passport and a Muslim name? Ha! That’s double tragedy! I know as my middle name is Islamic!
But guess what - all those problems magically would disappear the moment you acquire another nationality.
The bottom line, this is not about any ethnic group but being a Nigerian! Ask people that have genuine business transactions with other nationalities on their experience, challenges and hurdles!
If any nationality is trying to acquire something, be ready to try harder in multiple folds to secure it or at least be considered - it seems the goal post is shifting daily!
However - I am still very proud of being a Nigerian despite these challenges
Interesting read
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