The unproven rumor that the island nation of Seychelles has placed a visa block on Nigerian passport holders seeking short-term vacations has sparked an outrage on social media, notably Twitter.
The accusations gathered traction after MunafromTravelletter, a self-described developer of travel material, tweeted an image of an email rejection that purported to be from Seychelles Immigration.
The email made reference to immigration laws and stated that Seychelles does not accept Nigerian passport holders due to travel restrictions.
It seems Seychelles just placed a ban on Nigerian passport holders. The thing with having a Nigerian passport is you can be postponing travel plans until you become Bill Gates and immigration policies will be like “ Dey play” pic.twitter.com/UroivUEjGM
— MunafromTravelletters (@Munachimsoooo) July 8, 2023
The so-called travel content creator said:
“It seems Seychelles just placed a ban on Nigerian passport holders. Having a Nigerian passport means you can postpone travel plans until you become Bill Gates, and immigration policies will still be like ‘Dey play.'”
The unconfirmed reports swiftly spread across Twitter, triggering emotional reactions and intense discussions.
Speculations emerged regarding the reasons behind the alleged visa, with some Nigerians linking it to the perception issues and alleged drug-related activities of Nigerians. In contrast, others highlighted past travel restrictions and infractions faced by Nigerians in other countries.
According to BusinessInsider, the government of Seychelles is yet to issue an official report on the alleged visa ban on Nigerian passport holders. The integrity of the claims remains unclear, as well as the motivation for the alleged action.