Award-winning Nigerian singer Yemi Alade has opened up about the discrimination and additional scrutiny she says she has encountered while travelling with a Nigerian passport.
Speaking in a BBC interview, the Afrobeats star said the experience reflects a wider stigma attached to Nigeria’s green passport, one she believes Nigerians have inherited from previous generations.
Alade said she has observed a noticeable difference in the way immigration officials treat travellers from other countries compared with Nigerians.
According to her, the change can become apparent as soon as an official sees a Nigerian passport.
She described the experience as one in which Nigerian travellers are often subjected to more questions about their plans and reasons for entering a country, even when they have legitimate reasons for travelling.
Alade recalled instances where her international travel schedule itself became a source of suspicion.
She said officials have questioned why she would arrive in London, travel to Paris and return to London shortly afterwards, suggesting that her movements appeared suspicious.
The singer also recounted being told on one occasion that she did not look like the person in her passport photograph.
For Alade, such encounters are particularly frustrating because her frequent international travel is largely connected to her career.
She said one immigration encounter took an unexpected turn when the official handling her case recognised her as a fan and knew that she was travelling as part of a tour.
The singer’s comments highlight a broader concern among Nigerians about how the country’s international image affects its citizens when they travel.
For Alade, the issue goes beyond the inconvenience of additional questioning. She described the stigma surrounding the Nigerian passport as a burden that has continued across generations, leaving Nigerians to deal with perceptions they did not create themselves.
Her experience also draws attention to the challenges Nigerian travellers can face at international borders, where passport nationality can influence the level of scrutiny they encounter.
