‘Nigeria showed me shege’ – CNN reporter laments $215 visa fee

CNN International correspondent Larry Madowo says Nigeria’s single entry visa fee of $215 is outrageous.

Madowo made this known on his LinkedIn account on Monday.

According to him, despite holding a Kenyan passport, which grants visa-free access to numerous African nations such as Uganda, South Africa and Ghana, Nigeria requires a substantial fee of $215 for a single-entry visa.

He wrote, “Nigeria just charged me $215 for a one-month, single-entry visa. Again. I was here three weeks ago – paid the same $215. This is my third time in Nigeria this year, so they made $645 from me in 2024 alone.

“The visa costs $25, but Nigeria charges a $ 20′ processing fee’ and $170 for biometrics every time. My fingerprints haven’t changed since I was here three weeks ago. Why am I paying $170 to take them and pose for a picture each time I visit? Isn’t that a standard part of admitting someone into a country? “How can we achieve a borderless Africa, or the promise of the AfCFTA, if we charge Africans $215 for a single-entry visa?

“In the three weeks since I was last in Lagos, I went to Uganda, South Africa, and Ghana, where I don’t need a visa with a Kenyan passport. I’ve also been to South Africa three times this year. It cost me $0, like the ancestors intended.

“Nigeria’s visa-on-arrival system is similar to the ‘visa-free’ delusion of Kenya’s Electronic Travel Authorisation – you apply in advance, submit some documents, and wait for approval. It can take up to five business days. If you know someone, you can pay them $50 or more to facilitate faster approval.

“I love Nigeria, but the visa situation is showing me shege. It’s too much oo! Why this Shege Pro Max?”

However, checks on the Nigerian Immigration Service portal for the application fee for a single entry visa (valid within six months) from Kenya and US embassies was pegged at $25 and $144.