Nigeria and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas have expressed their commitment to formalize a visa waiver agreement for holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports from both nations. This pledge was made during a courtesy visit by Ambassador Benaoyagha Okoyen, the High Commissioner of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, to the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Philip Davis.
The Nigerian Embassy in Havana released a statement confirming Ambassador Okoyen’s visit to Prime Minister Davis and his meeting with the Bahamas’ Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Fred Mitchel, in Nassau on Monday.
Ambassador Okoyen, who serves as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Cuba with concurrent accreditation to the Bahamas, the Republic of Nicaragua, and Honduras, highlighted that the proposed agreement’s primary objective is to streamline the entry of citizens holding valid diplomatic and official passports from both countries into each other’s territories. The agreement is anticipated to strengthen the bilateral relations and protect the interests of Nigeria and the Bahamas.
During his visit, Ambassador Okoyen participated in the Bahamas 2023 Diplomatic Week, which celebrated “50 years of Foreign Relations and beyond in an independent Bahamas” from October 22 to 27, 2023. He also engaged in a high-level panel discussion on “Diplomacy and the Next Generation” alongside representatives from the Bahamas, China, Indonesia, the USA, and students from various schools in the Bahamas.
In addition to these diplomatic activities, Ambassador Okoyen paid a courtesy visit to the Governor-General of the Bahamas, Ms. Cynthia Pratt, who bid him farewell as he formally concluded his mission in the Bahamas.
