“You don’t know how hard it is to be Nigerian until you start travelling as a Nigerian” – Model recounts being singled out at airport over green passport

A Nigerian content creator and professional model has recounted how he was singled out for additional questioning at an international airport despite having a valid visa and a good travel history.

In a video shared online, the model said he had travelled extensively for work and had featured in campaigns for international brands, including Adidas and Hennessy.

He said he was allowed to watch other travellers pass through immigration before an officer noticed his Nigerian passport and began questioning him about his identity, purpose of visit and how long he intended to stay.

According to him, he was eventually taken away from the immigration queue to a security area, where officers questioned him further and contacted people he had listed in his visa application.

He said the officers appeared unconvinced when he explained that he was visiting for modelling work, prompting him to ask them to search his name on Google to verify his professional profile.

The model said the search brought up his work and photographs, after which he was returned his passport and allowed to proceed.

He described the experience as upsetting, saying that despite his years of travelling and clean record, his Nigerian passport continued to attract additional scrutiny.

He added that he was particularly worried about the possibility of being sent back, questioning where he would have gone if the officers had refused him entry.

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