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Leaving things late and practicing fire fighting is very unlike me, but with so much on my plate, my usual promptness and efficiency had taken a hit. I have not spent enough time to prepare for my 2024 Autumn Marathon travels. 

In a few days, I am supposed to leave for the Loch Ness Marathon, the first stop of my Autumn Marathon tour, which will take me through six new countries, including Equatorial Guinea. I have all my tickets and visas sorted except for Equatorial Guinea. I have invited runners from across the globe to join the Malabo Marathon in Equatorial Guinea. This is a Marathon I founded and as there are no sponsors, I have been tirelessly fundraising. How could I possibly not show up because of something as avoidable as a missing visa? Sure, I could apply for an e-visa, but holding a Nigerian passport, I always prefer having my visas stamped firmly in my passport before leaving Nigeria to avoid those “stories that touch the heart”.

After spending 12 hours yesterday riding on a bus from Abuja to Lagos, I needed to get in a solid 10km run this morning. I also needed to give obtaining my outstanding Equatorial Guinea Visa a shot. So, I set out on an 11km run straight to the Equatorial Guinea embassy this morning. I had originals of all my documents and photocopies tucked neatly in my running bag. I arrived sweaty, but that did not matter. My sweaty face is already a familiar one at most embassies in Nigeria.

After filling out the forms and submitting my documents, I was told I could get my visa today. That was good news! However, I was told I couldn’t wait inside the embassy waiting room. Could it be that I was smelly? The visa officer suggested I go for an additional run or take a walk around the neighborhood and promised to call me once the application was approved. So, I wandered around the area, and an hour later, she rang me to return to the consulate. My visa was ready but the price had changed. This time, I had to pay NGN 150,000, a sharp increase from the NGN 100,000 I paid just a few months ago. 

The officer looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Fix the falling Naira." when I challenged the price increase. Ouch. That stung. When will the freefall of our currency finally stop? And why is our currency even benchmarked against the US Dollar in the first place? 

The irony weighed heavy on me as I left the embassy with my visa in hand. I am running marathons across the world, yet I can’t seem to outrun the constant devaluation of my country’s currency.

Any pointers as to what can be done?

Dayo Akinbode REIMAN

True Life Story

19/09/2024