Afrobeats superstar, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has sparked widespread online reactions after admitting in a viral clip that while he possesses a Nigerian passport, he rarely uses it for international travel because he heavily relies on his American passport.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America, Davido holds dual citizenship, which grants him access to a blue US passport.
He has publicly praised the US passport as being “worth more than a million dollars” due to the seamless global travel and freedom it provides.
His comments come amidst discussions regarding travel restrictions faced by Nigerian creatives.
In a widely shared interview snippet, Davido jokingly stated: “Green passport?
“Am I crazy?
“I have a green passport but I don’t use it too much.”
Davido then contrasted the heavy visa restrictions of a Nigerian passport with his American one.
The Eagle Online reports that this is not the first time he has compared his two citizenships.
He has been vocal about his preference for his American blue passport over his Nigerian green passport because it lacks the same global travel freedom.
He had previously posted side-by-side photos of his passport pictures on social media, noting how energetic he looked in his American passport photo versus how tired he looked in his Nigerian passport, adding the caption: “Nigeria will stress you.”
Davido’s preference for his US passport once caused a major dispute with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) back in 2014.
The singer was temporarily blocked from flying out of Lagos because he presented his US passport without a valid Nigerian visa, forcing him to return with his Nigerian passport to properly establish his dual citizenship status.
His comments have since sparked reactions on social media.
Critics argue that his statements discredit the Nigerian passport and sound careless coming from a global ambassador of Nigerian culture.
Supporters point out that he is simply being realistic about the global mobility limitations and visa hurdles that come with the Nigerian green passport compared to a Western one.
