Every year an increasing number of Nigerians flee poverty and unrest at home. Now, rich Nigerians are planning their escape too. And they’re taking their money with them.
Dapo has spent too long at home in Lagos, Nigeria. Back in October, protests against the SARS police unit kept him from going to his office. “First, we were told to stay at home because of the coronavirus. Then this,” he says.

A wealthy Nigerian, Dapo, who is in his late 30s, does not want to make himself identifiable by giving his surname and age, lest it draw unwanted attention.
He has had a “backup plan” for getting out of Nigeria for some time, he says. “I have Maltese citizenship. I can leave for there any time.” With one small obstacle – a 14-day quarantine upon arrival – Dapo could be permanently in Malta any time he pleases. He is not planning to go imminently, but describes it as his “plan b’’.

Dapo is one of a rapidly growing number of Nigerians who have bought so-called “golden visas” or foreign citizenships-by-investment this year. In his case it was Malta, the Mediterranean island where citizenship can be acquired for a minimum investment of 800,000 euros ($947,180) through the Malta Citizenship by Investment Programme.
Not that he has any special love for Malta. A record 92 countries around the world now allow wealthy individuals to become residents or citizens in return for a fee, sometimes as low as $100,000 but often several million dollars. It is billed as a “win-win”: The country gets much-needed foreign investment and, in return, the new citizens have new passports that open up more of the world to travel or live in.
Golden visas are the lesser-reported side of the Nigerian migration story. Every year thousands of Nigerians make their way to Europe via perilous crossings over the Sahara and Mediterranean. Now their wealthier counterparts are also making their way to Europe but via a different route.
A record year for golden visas
Whether rich or poor, the reasons for leaving one’s home country are often the same. Fear of political uncertainty at home and hope for better opportunities elsewhere. But 2020 has been exceptional.

Like Dapo, Folajimi Kuti, 50, was watching the #EndSARS protests from his home in Lagos in October. “I have children, they’re teenagers, and they’re asking me questions like, ‘How did we get here?’” he says, referring to the violence that accompanied demonstrations against the controversial Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Kuti says he has believed for some time that social unrest would boil over in Nigeria, because of issues of poverty and police brutality. “It had been clear for the past two or three years that something was going to happen. It’s happened now in 2020 but, frankly, we’ve been expecting this outburst for a while so it wasn’t a matter of ‘if’. It was a matter of ‘when’.”
Citizenship or residency abroad has become appealing, he adds. As a financial adviser to the wealthy, Kuti knows the process of applying for one having walked clients through it before. Most of his work involves advising Nigeria’s growing number of millionaires about investments and wealth planning. But now they are asking about foreign citizenships and Kuti himself is tempted by the idea. “Just knowing that if you need to go you certainly could and move without any restriction.”
The rush for golden visas among rich Nigerians started before October’s SARS protests. At London-based Henley & Partners, one of the world’s largest citizenship advisory firms, applications by Nigerians increased by 185 percent during the eight months to September 2020, making them the second-largest nationality to apply for such schemes after Indians.

More than 1,000 Nigerians have enquired about the citizenship of another country through Henley & Partners this year alone, which Paddy Blewer, head of marketing, says “is unheard of. We’ve never had this many people contacting us”.

Many, like Kuti, saw political problems ahead and wanted an escape plan. Others were focused on coronavirus: What if the pandemic overwhelms Nigeria?

“There is a lack of primary healthcare capacity that would be able to manage with either a second wave or whatever happens in, say, 2025,” says Blewer. “Let’s say there is COVID-21 still going on in 2025 that is of an order or magnitude worse. It’s, ‘Do I want to be based here and only based here, or do I want an alternative base of operations where I believe I will be safer and I will be able to run my global businesses’.
It was in July, when the number of COVID-19 cases in Nigeria escalated, that wealthy Nigerians started looking more seriously at citizenship abroad, experts say. “Those with medical conditions that could not fly out – a lot of them are buying passports just because if there is any problem they can fly out,” says Olusegun Paul Andrew, 56, a Nigerian entrepreneur and investor who spends much of the year in the Netherlands.
“Flying out” of Nigeria is hard and not just because of the coronavirus pandemic. Just 26 countries allow Nigerian passport holders visa-free entry, many of them part of West Africa’s ECOWAS arrangement. Both the United Kingdom and Europe’s Schengen zone require Nigerians to obtain visas ahead of travelling.

For the wealthy, this is too much hassle. “They don’t want to be queueing for visas for any EU country or whatever,” says Andrew. Instead, why not purchase the citizenship of a country with visa-free access to Europe?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/features/2020/12/10/wealthy-nigerians-buying-citizenship-overseas?espv=1

While bmc are left defending their atrocities
Hahahahhah
Bmc detected
He will be left behind while their children will buy up the remaining overseas citizenship

No body is flying anywhere, we need to enjoy this government together.

Sad but true.

This is no news. The country has failed woefully and her future isn't promising.

Na today.....

Who like sufferhead? Use your money to get what you want in life.

There is nothing new about the report. It's just that European n Arab Countries are making it easier for Africa's corrupt elites to hide their ill gotten wealth in their countries. During the time of Abacha it was Swiss Banks but now European countries,Arab countries like Qatar,Oman,UAE and Caribbean islands are making it easier by telling you to not only put the money in their banks, you can also "invest" and get citizenship. At the end Africa is at the receiving end with more poverty, insecurity, poor infrastructures and weak or non existent health care for the remaining millions...

If you think that the picture I painted above has only Nigeria as its canvas then your ignorance is bliss.

Zombies will be left behind when the dullard have finally wreaked this hellhole of a nation.

Better there than this shit hole

This is only news to the BBC.
We have known this for years.

The Nigerian dream is usually t make enough money so that you can travel out of the country with your family or set one up when you go abroad.

Make me too see money japa commot this country. Buhari just turned this nation to rubbish

Okoroawusa:
There is nothing new about the report. It's just that European n Arab Countries are making it easier for Africa's corrupt elites to hide their ill gotten wealth in their countries. During the time of Abacha it was Swiss Banks but now European countries,Arab countries like Qatar,Oman,UAE and Caribbean islands are making it easier by telling you to not only put the money in their banks, you can also "invest" and get citizenship. At the end Africa is at the receiving end with more poverty, insecurity, poor infrastructures and weak or non existent health care for the remaining millions...

If you think that the picture I painted above has only Nigeria as its canvas then your ignorance is bliss.

Nigeria case is worst.

Nigeria is acting like a country without direction.

2020 light na still problem, oil and gas producing nation that uptil 2020 doesn't have any functional refinery.

And the world intends to transition to electric cars in the next 10years.

By next 10years when oil price would have fallen drastically due to the take over by electric cars, how would we pay off our debts as we have lost our source of foreign exchange?

Nigeria should be very careful, we are heading towards a big problem, a great recession is coming to Nigeria one that might lead to a very big problem.

If Nigeria doesn't stop this nonstop stealing and upgrade our economy band infrastructures the kind of problem coming zimbabwe will be child's play

A wealthy Nigerian, Dapo, who is in his late 30s

That's unknown to, yet we no dey make noise...

This flat tire people like to dey shoot themselves on the leg

helinues:


That's unknown to, yet we no dey make noise...

This flat tire people like to dey shoot themselves on the leg

Cone miner what are u saying

This is what the politicians are doing with your looted funds

The last EndSars protests scared them so this is what they are doing now

Hmmm

All these ogbomoso news outlets sef.
Attaching their names as if they have anything
There are more rich igbos out there than any of this Dapo and Bolaji you’re naming.

Go to USA, UK, Australia and see igbos getting their citizenship stamped in tens and hundreds
Mtchew... because one Dapo get citizenship for Malta now, make we no hear word

Buhari has totally destroyed Nigeria beyond redemption. I hope zombies are buying theirs too

Useless administration... got nothing serious to offer what else do you expect.... Nigeria is a complete destiny waster.. e go better e go better before you know you don reach 60yrs weak die another generation will start again e go better ...

.

Not just wealthy nigerians, Africa as a whole are just low self-esteem bunch of idiots who contributes nothing to the World order than consuming, and buying stuffs (cars, Watch, Jets, e.t.c) invented by the WHITEs to oppress their fellow african, and then scream RACISM at the slightest Provocation!!


.

MAFH HOOLIGANISM IS UNSTOPPABLE AND THE F.G IS FUNDING THEM

Yoruba people shouting one Nigeria at home and buying another country's citizenship abroad. Odiegwu!

I regret not planning to leave this country in 2011.

Before doing nonsense investments.

Nigeria kills dreams. The bad angle is that you are surrounded by unhappy/frustrated people who won't blink an eye lid to render your life unbearable.

Venezuela of Africa.

greymiles:
All these ogbomoso news outlets sef.
Attaching their names as if they have anything
There are more rich igbos out there than any of this Dapo and Bolaji you’re naming.

Go to USA, UK, Australia and see igbos getting their citizenship stamped in tens and hundreds
Mtchew... because one Dapo get citizenship for Malta now, make we no hear word

This disgusting post has no bearing to the topic of this thread.

Cowards. Small protest you dey run go another country smh

Insightful read

And these countries aren't welcoming you for nothing, not like they like you, they like the capital inflow from you, then tax you/you pay tax.

Lord, which country my own money fit buy now.


Abeg, I buy PayPal, Payoneer, Skrill, Neteller and Africard funds