Dayo Akinbode: How Kenya Welcomed With Kindness as a Nigerian

There is a particular kind of anxiety that many Nigerians know well when planning international flights. The anxiety starts when one researches visa requirements for the umpteenth time, just to make sure nothing has changed overnight. This follows one as one gathers documents, books flights, prints hotel reservations and prepares answers for questions one hopes nobody will ask. And even when one has done everything right, this anxiety sits in your heart whispering, “Will they let me into the country?”

I know this feeling very well. As a Nigerian who has spent years travelling the world and running marathons across more than 100 countries, I have learned that carrying a Nigerian passport often means carrying assumptions that have nothing to do with who I am. Sometimes I  am viewed with suspicion before I speak a single word. Sometimes I feel as though I am being judged not by my character, but by the colour of the booklet in my hand. Sometimes I arrive at visa interviews or immigration counters already preparing to defend myself and my mission.

So when I boarded my flight to Kenya to run the Nairobi City Marathon, I carried some of those familiar fears with me. Before the trip, I was so convinced there had to be a catch in the “No visa required Policy” for Nigerians, so much so that I contacted Kenyan immigration several times to confirm that Nigerians really did not need a visa to visit Kenya.

I called several times. Each time, they said, “No visa required for Nigerian Passport Holders.”

I was certain someone had made a mistake because usually Nigerians have to cross several hurdles to obtain a visa into another country, especially in Africa. Some African countries, like Mauritania, won’t bother checking through your documents. Once you are Nigerian, your documents are…