A Cable News Network (CNN) International Correspondent, Larry Madowo, has condemned the payment of $215 for a visa fee when he visited Nigeria.

Madowo said he visited the most populous African country three times this year and paid $215 on those occasions, saying there was no need for a processing fee and biometrics capturing fee charged at $20 and $170 respectively.

The CNN reporter who holds a Kenyan passport disclosed this on his LinkedIn account on Monday.

The journalist lamented the outrageous amount of $645 he parted with for visa fees in Nigeria three times, despite holding a Kenyan passport, which grants visa-free access to African countries such as Uganda, South Africa and Ghana.

He wrote, “Nigeria just charged me $215 for a one-month, single-entry visa. Again. I was here three weeks ago – paid the same $215. This is my third time in Nigeria this year, so they made $645 from me in 2024 alone.

“The visa costs $25, but Nigeria charges a $ 20′ processing fee’ and $170 for biometrics every time. My fingerprints haven’t changed since I was here three weeks ago. Why am I paying $170 to take them and pose for a picture each time I visit? Isn’t that a standard part of admitting someone into a country? “How can we achieve a borderless Africa, or the promise of the AfCFTA, if we charge Africans $215 for a single-entry visa?

“In the three weeks since I was last in Lagos, I went to Uganda, South Africa, and Ghana, where I don’t need a visa with a Kenyan passport. I’ve also been to South Africa three times this year. It cost me $0, like the ancestors intended.

“Nigeria’s visa-on-arrival system is similar to the ‘visa-free’ delusion of Kenya’s Electronic Travel Authorisation – you apply in advance, submit some documents, and wait for approval. It can take up to five business days. If you know someone, you can pay them $50 or more to facilitate faster approval.

“I love Nigeria, but the visa situation is showing me shege. It’s too much oo! Why this Shege Pro Max?”

Based on the current exchange rate, Madowo paid N267,743.80 for a single-visa entry, while he had paid N803,231.40 for the three times he visited the country.