The Federal government has disputed assertions that the United Arab Emirates has eased the 12-month visa ban on Nigerian travelers
In an interview with CNN, an official from the Gulf state who spoke on condition of anonymity said;
Remember how the UAE declared in October of last year that it would no longer grant visas to nationals of Nigeria and 19 other African countries? It didn’t give any more information. Before the UAE abruptly stopped providing visas to Nigerians, obtaining a 30-day tourist visa was rather simple.
President Tinubu travelled to the UAE on Monday, September 11, where he met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in an effort to settle the diplomatic problems. The meeting, according to a statement from Ajuri Ngelali, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, prepared the path for the easing of the visa prohibition and the immediate restart of flights between the two nations. Read Here
However, a statement issued by the UAE government on Monday claimed that both leaders had “explored opportunities for further bilateral collaboration” during their meeting with a view to “reinforcing ties between the UAE and Nigeria,” but it made no mention of the removal of the visa embargo or the resumption of flights.
In a later interview, Ajuri went against what he had earlier said and said that Nigerians shouldn’t anticipate beginning flights to the UAE right away since officials from both nations required more time to finalise the agreement’s terms.
According to local media reports citing the Dubai Land Department, Nigerians were among the biggest international real estate investors in Dubai prior to the outbreak, with investments totaling roughly $2 billion. Emirates Airlines ran two daily flights from Lagos, Nigeria, to Dubai prior to the prohibition.
