General
Nigeria Ranks Seventh on Africa Visa Openness Index
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria has ranked seventh in the latest Africa Visa Openness Index published this month by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Union Commission.
The index, which has been published since 2016, measures the extent to which African countries are open to visitors from other African countries. It also analyses each country’s visa requirements to show which countries on the continent facilitate travel to their countries.
For each country, the index calculates the number of African countries whose citizens must obtain a visa before travelling there, the number of countries whose citizens may obtain a visa upon arrival, and the number of countries whose citizens do not need a visa to enter.
The index also tracks changes in the countries’ scores over time and then analyses how policies earmarked for freedom of movement across the continent are evolving.
Last year, Uganda was ranked seventh on the continent just behind Seychelles, Benin, The Gambia, Senegal, Ghana and Rwanda but this year, Nigeria upstaged Uganda.
Overall, Africa is almost evenly split between countries with a liberal visa policy and those that partially restrict entry from other African states. A quarter of African countries welcome some or all African visitors visa-free; another quarter, roughly, permits some or all African visitors to obtain a visa on arrival.
This year’s index found that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic substantially impacted the free movement of people around the continent as governments temporarily reversed their liberal visa regime partly in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yet, despite the COVID-19 crisis forcing many African countries to introduce measures to curtail travel, 36 countries have improved or maintained their Visa Openness Index score since 2016 when the visa openness rankings were introduced by the AfDB.
The report mentions Namibia, Morocco, and Tunisia as countries that have made the most progress in visa openness.
Still, high visa fees and cumbersome application processes remain a major bottleneck for travellers in Africa, especially business people. For instance, the average visa fee for Africans travelling on the continent is $63. The visa fees depend on the length of stay and they can range anywhere between $12-250 while the average processing time for issuing a visa can range anywhere between 1-10 days.
Speaking on this, Mrs Monique Nsanzabaganwa, the Deputy Chairperson at the AU Commission noted that the Africa Visa Openness Index report has revealed a real danger of Africa losing the gains in liberal visa policies that the continent has realized over the years.
“A lot more can be done to reduce bureaucracy, address the security implications for the free movement of people agenda, and simplify the visa process so that Africans have a smoother travel experience,” she said.
Experts at both the AfDB and the Africa Union Commission say in order for Africa to recover and rebuild, it is important that the governments combine efforts not only to expand access to vaccines but also ease the movement of people on the continent.
“Making vaccines more accessible and easing the movement of people is essential to kick-start trade and investments in tourism, travel-related industries, and other equally crucial sectors, such as agriculture, energy and manufacturing,” said Mr Khaled Sherif, the AfDB Vice President Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery.
“By supporting the free movement of people, we make it easier for Africans to do business in Africa. Free movement of people, especially workers, could help plug skills gaps while enabling countries to fix skills mismatches in their labour markets,” said Mr Jean-Guy Afrika, the Officer-In-Charge of the Regional Integration Coordination Office at the African Development Bank.
“We need the visa regime to be able to help people move around. We also need the right customs regime and the right border automation control and so on, to support the movement of people, goods and services for the development, growth and sustainability of the African economy as we begin to recover from the pandemic,” said Mrs Adefunke Adeyemi, the Africa Regional Director, at the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Lagos State Government has declared Thursday, August 20, as a work-free day for public servants, political appointees and others to mark the 2026 Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day.
The event is expected to be the largest single gathering of traditional worshippers anywhere in the world, with over three million residents expected to join the celebrations.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Idris Aregbe, in a statement signed personally on Wednesday, described the day as one that is bigger than a holiday on a calendar.
“Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said, noting that the Yorubas are one of Africa’s largest ethnic nations with more than 55 million people globally, holding tenaciously to the Yoruba culture and inculcating it in their children.
Adhering to culture and tradition over the years has sustained the Ìṣẹ̀ṣe festivals in Cuba, Brazil, and the Caribbean, where many Yorubas live aside from Africa to this day.
“When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Mr Aregbe said.
Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day marks the culmination of a full week of traditional activities, and has been observed as a work-free day in Lagos since 2023, following a request from the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has upheld it every year, in line with the administration’s commitment to indigenous values and religious inclusiveness.
Mr Aregbe expressed profound appreciation to Sanwo-Olu for his courageous support for a noble cause, and reserved special honour for the traditional institution.
“We thank Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. It takes real conviction for a leader to stand publicly with heritage, and he has done so without hesitation and without apology. We also bow to Kábíyèsí, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu I, foremost custodian of Lagos culture, to all our royal fathers, our revered White Cap Chiefs, our Babaláwo and Ìyánífá, our Olóòrìṣà and every custodian and promoter who kept these rites alive when it was neither fashionable nor convenient. Governments come and go. Custodians carry the culture,” he said.
This year’s celebrations will feature prayers, rituals, processions, drumming and cultural displays dedicated to the Òrìṣà, coordinated by the Association of African Traditional Religion Nigeria and Overseas (AATREN).
Mr Aregbe urged all participants to celebrate peacefully and respectfully.
“Three million voices rising in honour of tradition is not noise. It is history, faith and cultural pride in harmony. Whether you worship in a mosque, a church or a grove, Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day belongs to you, because heritage has no denomination. Lagos remains the city where every heritage finds its place.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Two persons have been convicted and sentenced by Justice A. Aluko of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, for illegal Naira trading.
The judge found the duo of Ms Mutairu Omowunmi Tawa and Ms Faith Chukwujeku guilty and sentenced them to six months’ imprisonment with an option of a N50,000 fine each.
Their sentencing on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, followed their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on one-count charge each bordering on unlawful trading of Naira notes.
“That you, Mutairu Omowunmi female, on or about July 25, 2026, at Salamagic Event Centre, Onikan, Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this court, did sell and trade in the sum of N850,000 and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21(4) of the Central Bank Nigeria, Act 2007, as amended and punishable under Section 21(10) of the same Act,” the charge against Ms Mutairu read.
“That you, Faith Chukwujeku on July 25, 2026, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this court engaged in hawking the sum of N1.3 million in N200 note denomination issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21(4) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2007,” the charge against Chukwujeku read.
They pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them.
Following their guilty pleas, the prosecution counsel, Mr Fanen Anum, reviewed the facts of the cases and urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
He further urged the court to order the forfeiture of the exhibits recovered from the convicts to the federal government, being the instruments used in committing the crime.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Campaigns for Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election officially kicked off on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, setting the stage for a closely watched contest in which President Bola Tinubu is seeking a second term amid widespread economic hardship and insecurity.
President Tinubu, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), faces a divided opposition led by former Vice President, Mr Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Mr Peter Obi, who is running under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The presidential election is scheduled for January 16, 2027, alongside elections for the National Assembly. Governorship and state assembly elections will follow on February 6.
The campaign season is expected to be a test for Mr Tinubu’s administration over its record since taking office in May 2023, particularly the impact of its economic reforms and its handling of insecurity.
Upon his assumption of office, the President scrapped the petrol subsidy and subsequently introduced major foreign exchange reforms and policies that the government says have improved fiscal stability and restored investor confidence.
However, the reforms triggered a sharp rise in the cost of living, with many households struggling with higher food, transport and other living costs.
Reuters reported that nearly 80 per cent of Nigerians surveyed by risk advisory firm SBM Intelligence believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, with economic hardship and insecurity among their main concerns.
Security is also expected to feature prominently in the campaign, as killings, kidnappings and other forms of violence continue to affect parts of the country despite government claims that military operations have improved security in some areas.
Tinubu’s re-election bid will also be tested by the performance of the APC, which has been in power nationally since 2015. The opposition is expected to campaign on the argument that more than a decade of APC rule has failed to deliver sufficient improvements in living standards and security.
Analysts told Business Post that despite voter dissatisfaction, the president retains a significant political advantage from the opposition’s fragmentation. Several prominent opposition figures remain divided, while the APC has strengthened its political base through defections from opposition parties. Thirty-one of Nigeria’s 36 state governors are currently members of the ruling party.
The 2027 elections are, therefore, expected to be shaped by the competing narratives of Mr Tinubu’s reform agenda and the opposition’s criticism of the economic and security conditions facing Nigerians.
For the President, the campaign will provide an opportunity to convince voters that the hardship associated with his reforms will translate into improved living standards, while his challengers will seek to turn widespread dissatisfaction into a unified anti-incumbent vote.
