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Nigerian Passport Remains Among Top Tenth Worst Travel Document Globally

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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.

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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.”

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“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.

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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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CREDIT: journalist101

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Senate Confirms NCC Executive Commissioners  

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The Senate confirmed two nominees appointed by President Bola Tinubu as Executive Commissioners in the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Tuesday.

The nominees, Rimini Haraya Makama and Sunday Abraham Oshadami, were confirmed after the Senate Committee on Communications, chaired by Senator Bilbis Aliyu Ikra, presented its report and recommended their approval.

The committee found the nominees to be qualified and suitable for the positions after conducting a screening process. Makama was appointed as Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, while Oshadami was appointed as Executive Commissioner for Technical Services.

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Nullification Of Tenure Extension For Rivers LG Councils, Victory For Democracy — G60 Lawmakers 

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The G60 opposition federal lawmakers in the House of Representatives have welcomed a Rivers State High Court judgment that nullified the tenure extension for local government chairmen and councillors in the state.

The court declared the Local Government Law No. 2 of 2024, which extended the tenure of local government chairmen by six months, invalid and inconsistent with the 1999 constitution and Section 9(1) of Rivers State Law No. 5 of 2018, which fixes a three-year tenure for local government chairmen and councillors.

The lawmakers described the judgment as a victory for democracy and an end to legislative impersonation in the state, and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct bye-elections to replace the 27 lawmakers who defected from the PDP to the APC in breach of the Electoral Act and 1999 Constitution.

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Biafra Day: IPOB asks WAEC to postpone exams in Southeast on May 30

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The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to reschedule exams planned for May 30, which is observed as ‘Biafra Day’ in the Southeast.

IPOB also urged Nnamdi Azikiwe University to postpone its convocation set for the same date.

Emma Powerful, the IPOB spokesman, explained that a sit-at-home would be observed on May 30 to commemorate Biafra Day, emphasizing that WAEC should not put children’s lives at risk on this unsafe day in the Southeast.

In an open letter to the WAEC Board and UNIZIK Vice Chancellor, Professor Charles Okechukwu Esimone, Powerful wrote, “The attention of the global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by the indomitable leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been drawn to your proposed University’s convocation date on 30th May, 2024, and WAEC examinations.

“Please reschedule your convocation and exams to a new date because May 30 is Biafra Heroes Day, a sit-at-home day for all Biafrans in Biafra Land.

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“If you consider yourself a Biafran, you ought to know that May 30 is Biafra Heroes Day. We remind the University Management and WAEC Board that May 30 each year is a sacred day set aside to honor Biafra heroes and heroines who sacrificed their lives for Biafrans’ survival.

“That day is sacred, and Biafrans sit-at-home to remember and honor our heroes who fell during the Nigerian genocidal war against Biafrans from 1967 to 1970. The killings have continued to this day.

“No public events are expected in Biafra Land on this day. Biafra Heroes Day is a public holiday and a sit-at-home in Biafra Land to honor our fallen heroes and heroines. All markets, schools, banks, government, and private offices should be closed.

“Movement of persons and vehicles is not allowed, except for essential or emergency services like health workers, ambulances, fire services, filling stations, hospitals, etc.

“The West African Examination Board should not endanger the lives of children as the day is not safe in Biafra territory. It is a day to stay indoors to honor those who sacrificed for our survival, and they must reschedule to another day. May 30 is Biafra Remembrance Day. If anything happens to the children scheduled for that day, they will regret it.

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“Through this open letter, IPOB calls on the Vice Chancellor and Management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) Awka and any other group with programs scheduled for May 30, 2024, to postpone their events.”

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