THE SENIOR BROTHER.

“Our passport is weak” they lament. They curse and blame Nigeria when they get profiled or delayed at airports in other countries. They curse the green passport and blame the leaders exclusively for all that is wrong with the country.

A YouTube travel blogger, TA recently gave those angry at Nigeria material to intensify their animosity towards the country. He reminded his followers on X about the foreign passport he bought to facilitate his hustle. He actually published a video about this subject in January 2024, so he was basically rehashing his story which was basically a promo for the Dubai based company that he partnered with to get the deal done in late 2023.

TA’s YouTube video appeared to me like a well calculated project to give the impression that he chronicled the process from the decided to get a new passport to the final day it was delivered. I think he just wrote a script and acted things out as if the footages he used were recorded in real time to make his documentary. I think the entire thing was like a paid commercial for the benefit of the Dubai outfit. It looked more like reenactments we see in some crime documentaries. I may be wrong though.

In his documentary, TA complained about getting harassed and assaulted in two African countries, Ethiopia and Tanzania. He said he was accused of having drugs in his gut one time and accused of fraud in the other. He questioned visiting certain fellow African countries like Namibia, Tanzania, Egypt and Morocco was difficult due to the delays with visa applications and associated demand for documents. TA said the final straw for him was getting denied a visa to travel to Dubai despite being invited for a function in 2022.

After the Dubai snub, he sought a new 'pali' with more visa free destinations than the 45 his green passport had. According to the Henley Passport index, Nigeria is joint 95th alongside, Iran, Lebanon and Sudan. TA said he envied his friends with British and US passports because they have access to many more nations visa-free. UK is joint 3rd [192] and the US is joint 6th [189]. Some Nigerians on social media hailed their new champion against the government because a weak passport is enough fodder to burn down the nation they despise.

Anyone who tried to point them in the direction of Nigerians who have smeared the country’s reputatio6n over many decades because of their conduct received abuse. Only the politicians according to them have caused the problem. Only they are responsible for the added scrutiny they give our travel documents and stories. I was denied a UK visa when I was student at the Dental school in Ibadan. I had an invitation from King’s college London to visit their dental school for about a week or two, I don’t remember. I did not blame Nigeria for the denial; I was upset than the Visa people probably thought that a young man with a fresh passport was looking for a one-way trip out of Nigeria.

I got my first UK visa in 2012 and another in 2013. My 2012 trip with family was uneventful. We landed at London city airport on that trip and the Border control agent just asked us what we had in our luggage before letting us go. My 2013 trip was solo and I was supposed to be in and out in a week. I grabbed my luggage, passed the passport check and was about to turn right to join the train out of Heathrow when a border control agent asked me to step aside. I guess a young man travelling alone with a travel bag and a return date of less than a week triggered their ossicles. The fellow asked me to open my bag but the padlock I had on it was damaged by the baggage handlers so it appeared to the man that I was fidgeting with the lock. He asked if he could cut it off and I told him to indulge himself. He cut it and used their whiskered probe to check for drugs. I just looked at him as he did his worked. It must have been about 15 minutes and I was on my way to Victoria Station. I did not blame Nigeria or having a green passport for getting profiled.

I have had stopovers in Amsterdam, Madrid, Frankfurt, Dubai and Istanbul; I did not get harassed in any of these airports because I had a green passport. When I had a forced stopover in Sofia due to bad weather, I was not permitted to exit the airport like most of the other passengers who had ‘stronger’ passports. A few of us had to sleep inside the airport for about 2 days eating dry sandwiches and chocolate. I was the only non-European in the group; the treatment in Sofia was far from ideal but I did not blame Nigeria or regret having a green passport. Life happened and I moved on.

When it was time to be interviewed for a US visa in Canada, I witnessed the grilling of a Chinese woman who was ahead of me. It was as if they had intel that she was an undercover agent seeking a visa for espionage duties. On the same line was an Australian man seeking a work visa and he was also grilled. When it was my turn, I presented my documents and answered my interviewer’s questions. The visa got stamped on my passport in a few days. Did the Chinese lady before me get grilled because she possessed a ‘weak’ passport? Technically, the Chinese passport is weak relative to the strong passports. 62nd on the log with access to just 88 nations visa-free; weaker than the passports of South Africa and Peru.

Back to the Youtuber who bought a Saint Kitts and Nevis passport. This Caribbean passport is 26th with access to 156 nations stress free. In TA’s video, he mentioned that he did not have USD150,000 which was the minimum donation possible at the time to buy the passport. He had a friend on the phone who told him to find 149 additional people who would give him $1000 each. TA said he resorted to doing what he knows how to do best to raise the money; travelling and publishing his videos. I don’t know how many months he did his thing, but between May 2022 and November 2023, he was able to donate the $150,000 and got his passport mailed probably in January 2024 or late 2023.

The lowest amount that one requires to buy a Saint Kitts passport is now $250,000 for a single applicant; investment opportunities range $250,000 to $800,000. $250,000 for Public benefit projects, $400,000 for a condo and $800,000 for a single family home. These changes were effected in July 2023 and purchased homes have to be held for 7 years before selling them on. TA essentially donated $150,000 to the Saint Kitts economy and got in return citizenship with access to 156 visa-free countries. He would still need visas to enter USA, Canada, UAE, Morocco and Egypt but should most likely be able to get those visas without much stress. TA mentioned that the entire process when he did it lasted about 8 months. Today, it appears the Caribbean nation requires more time to vet applicants as this is demanded by more powerful nations like the US to ensure shady people do not fall through the cracks.

TA acknowledged his almost 900,000 subscribers for helping him get the required funds. He urged them to consider partnering with the Dubai based agency to get their own Caribbean citizenships by investment. He had a promo code available for them to get a discount with the company. He is now able to plan ahead without waiting for visas and without fear of denials. Based on his documentary, the first place he visited using his new passport which he tagged the ‘senior brother’ of his green passport was London. He claimed that he was “anxious and nervous” as he approached border control. He passed through without getting asked any questions but I wonder why someone with a passport of a nation whose monarch is King Charles was anxious about passing through border control when he had visited the country before with his green passport. Maybe it was just PTSD.

He then said he would try his passport in the US but did not show how that process went. He met up with a friend who has a US passport who insinuated that using a green passport in the US attracted disdain from the immigration officers and delays for questioning. I guess they had to de-market Nigeria and the green passport to convince subscribers to find $250,000 to join the league of foreign passport owners.

I stumbled on a video by another Youtuber who talked about how his work associate and friend from Egypt bought his Saint Kitts passport. The Egyptian man talked about his frustrations with seeking visas. Both men highlighted the limitations of the Egyptian passport [Egypt is joint 87th with access to 55 nations] but what upset the Egyptian most was his inability to see his family in Egypt. He hoped to return to Egypt with a foreign passport and avoid getting conscripted for national military service. His hope was however dashed when the agent organizing his visit to Egypt informed him that someone in the same situation was denied entry into Egypt because he did not present an Egyptian travel document. He abandoned his Egypt trip and instead visited Saint Kitts for the first time.

Can you imagine what would happen if Nigerians were denied entry into Nigeria like the Egyptians did to their own citizen? The outrage. My Indian friend told me about how she cannot operate bank accounts within India because all Indians overseas are regarded as Non-resident and thus have to close resident savings accounts and open non-resident accounts if they want to transact business within their home nation. Can you imagine if the Nigerian authorities stop me from using my GTB and UBA accounts simply because I do not reside in Nigeria full-time? I have seen foreigners experience difficulties here and there, but I have not heard or seen them rubbishing their nations because of any hardships they experience. Even when they acquire residency or citizenship statuses elsewhere, they will not be caught putting their nations down. It amazing how those who complain about getting profiled, assaulted and discriminated against in other climes are the loudest especially on social media in ridiculing their country.

I agree that Nigerian leaders should do better; I agree that the standards should be set very high but are we as a people prepared to face the truth and pay the price? We say government is bad, but it is Nigerians who help their children to cheat during entrance examinations. Nigerians compromise our borders and allow smuggled goods and weapons in. Nigerians frustrate other Nigerians at government offices and institutions; Nigerian professors are the ones violating people’s children for grades and Nigerian religious leaders are the ones allowed to take advantage of vulnerable people. All these do not matter as long as we have politicians to take the fall.

I do not think the majority of YouTube subscribers have $250,000 to donate to Saint Kitts or a minimum of $200,000 for other Caribbean nations. Those who show up with the funds would likely steal or spend money belonging to other people. Your favorite political or religious leader may just venture to get documents for his or her entire family member; after all Nigeria is no longer good and everyone deserves a chance to leave. There are cheaper options though, it should not cost more than 10% of what Saint Kitts demands to qualify a small family for Canadian permanent residency. $130,000 can be donated to Vanuatu and you will get your citizenship within 2 months with few questions asked. If your taste is exotic, you can take €1million to Malta or $100million to Slovakia; this is possible as only those in support of the government are seeing 'shege' and crying of hunger. Those who support the one backed by the church dwell in abundance. Their man is so wealthy, he should be able to hand his acolytes checks from his stashed funds in the British Virgin Island.

Do not let anyone conscript you into despising and ridiculing your nation. This is what TA does not seem to understand. He acknowledged that he started his travel vlogging by visiting several sites within Nigeria in 2017. He moved to travelling across Africa but his taste buds are now hyperplastic; he now has a senior brother Saint Kitts passport that can take him where his green passport cannot. He enjoys patronage from sponsors worldwide, so it is time to thrash Nigeria as if She and local brands never did anything for him. This is the place you should never get to. When people call out TA for putting down Nigeria, do not just abuse them and accuse them of jealousy but try to see things from their perspectives. You can pursue your 'japa' dreams without abusing people and cursing your origin. Leave Nigeria alone and face her troublers within according to your ability. Do your business however you can; get your papers and you do not even need to acknowledge or hail Nigeria. What you should not do is sit in the seat of scoffers and think you are the blessed one(s).

You are free to sing the chorus about a weak passport; there are issues we should deal with and hopefully get a better rating with time. In the bottom 10 of the ranking are nations battling serious issues and terrorism. North Korea is also there. India is 81st, this I believe is not helped by the actions of a group that was made up of mostly Indian nationals who carried out a $22.5million gold heist right inside the main airport in Toronto last year. The gold vanished and one of the thieves was caught trying to smuggle weapons into Canada from the US. Internet fraud, drugs and other vices affect this ranking. Let us do better as a people.

June 13, 2024