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).

The index is a passport ranking system that uses the Destination Significant 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.

CREDIT: journalist101

Nigerians will face increased costs when obtaining electricity meters, as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has announced the deregulation of meters provided to electricity consumers under the Meter Asset Providers (MAP) scheme. This decision was disclosed on Monday through an order signed by the Chairman, Sanusi Garba, and the Commissioner of Legal, Licensing, and Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye.

According to the Commission, this move is aimed at allowing end-use electricity customers to procure meters from MAPs of their choice, based on competitive open market prices. This means that customers who were previously paying fixed prices, such as N81,975.16 for single-phase meters and N143,836.16 for three-phase meters, will now need to pay prices determined by the meter providers.

The Commission stated, “The cost of meters deployed under the MAP scheme is hereby deregulated to enable end-use customers to acquire meters from MAPs of their choice based on competitive open market prices determined from transparent bidding frameworks.” It also noted that all MAP permit holders are now eligible to provide services and transact with any Distribution Company (Disco) in Nigeria, subject to compliance with Disco-specific requirements.

Furthermore, all Discos are required to ensure the seamless integration of smart meters deployed by MAPs with their head-end systems and meter data management systems. This development follows NERC’s approval of a tariff increase of over 200% for customers receiving 20 hours of power supply, which occurred several weeks ago.

King Charles III is set to resume his public responsibilities following the positive outcome of his cancer treatment. The monarch has been undergoing treatment since being diagnosed with cancer in early February this year. Despite the encouraging news of his response to treatment, King Charles remains affected by cancer, the specific type of which has not been disclosed. He will receive ongoing treatment for his condition while carrying out his public duties.

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla are scheduled to visit a cancer treatment center on Tuesday to meet with medical specialists and patients. This event aims to raise awareness about the importance of early diagnosis and highlight innovative research supported by Cancer Research UK at the hospital.

In January, King Charles underwent a three-night hospital stay for a procedure on an enlarged prostate, during which the cancer was detected. Following the announcement of his diagnosis on February 6, he temporarily suspended all public engagements but continued fulfilling his duties as head of state within the palace, conducting audiences and Privy Council meetings.