Different Fees In Different Accounts For Diaspora Nigerians Trying To Visit Homeland: Their Frustrating Journey
The Oasis Reporters
September 3, 2025
Frustrating bureaucracy and the ingrained nature of not only civil servants but politicians also has often tried to make Nigeria unworkable for Nigerians, pushing many of them to seek succour and a better life outside of the country.
It’s not easy to even take the accurate census of Nigerians in the diaspora. When the numbers keep rising, citizens of host countries begin to get restive and before they begin to feel overwhelmed, they react through riots and the maltreatment of Nigerians as we have seen happen in Ghana, South Africa and other countries.
Whereas most Nigerians have actually no need to exit the country. But the induced poverty and the inability to make things work keeps pushing many of the citizens to leave.
Escaping from the country by going abroad to thrive is actually only the first phase of the difficulties the Nigerian system imposes on it’s people.
Worse is usually yet to come when diaspora Nigerians make attempts to visit relatives and friends back home.
Here are some of them:
A diaspora Nigerian hoping to come back home, either in riches or in poverty faces hurdles like paying an administrative fee of 110, 000 naira .
There’s an official account to pay that money into.
Then a second account is also there for the payment of Visa. And that is, 105,000 naira for planning to visit one’s own country of birth. The account is different.
There’s yet another 100,000 naira a diaspora Nigerian must pay, called Landing card fee.
After the successful visit to homeland for the Diaspora Nigerian, to travel back to the country he or she is resident in, the visiting Nigeria must pay again for leaving the country, called Exit card. A visiting Nigerian from the diaspora would only know the cost while applying to exit Nigeria at the end of his or her holiday.
Getting a Nigerian Visa used to cost $98 (about 150,000 naira) in the past. It is currently $268 (about 409,900 naira). The Visas are of different types. There’s the Tourist visa and the Visiting Visa.
Before the application for a visiting Visa is granted, the incoming Nigerian must present his or her bank statement in the last 6 months in the country of domicile.
And if a diaspora Nigerian wants to come home, set four months aside for Visa processing because so much hype is displayed about automation and easy response, but that’s just what it is, hype. The lived reality is that the movement of application files is at snail’s speed.
It may take up to three months.
Unless of course there are enough fluid funds for bribery. Refusal to pay the required underhand bribes may lead to visa rejection by embassy officials who carry that ugly feeling of entitlement from home to missions abroad, even after processing for three months. Calls to the embassy may be of insignificant help, unless luck is on the applicant’s side.
These are some of the experiences that occur to applicants.
It’s so terribly frustrating.
What about the fee for Passport Renewal in Nigeria for citizens at home?
It’s now very high. Comparisons have been made about that being higher than the minimum wage in the country.
Can the rising costs of living be tamed at all? The government should double it’s efforts to bring it down.
Greg Abolo.
