UAE Official Says Nigerians Shouldn’t Expect Cancellation Of Visa Ban

An official from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has refuted the Federal Government’s claim that it had abolished the year-long visa ban on Nigerian travellers.

An official from the Gulf state, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told CNN: “There are no changes on the Nigeria/UAE travel status so far.”

Remember that the UAE announced in October that it will no longer issue visas to citizens of Nigeria and 19 other African countries. It didn’t go into more information. Before the UAE abruptly stopped offering visas to Nigerians, obtaining a 30-day tourist visa was quite simple.

President Tinubu visited the UAE on Monday, September 11, to try to address the diplomatic concerns. He met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Ajuri Ngelali, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said in a statement that the meeting prepared the path for the easing of the visa ban, including the immediate resumption of flights between the two nations.

Read Also: Tinubu To Meet Uae Leaders Over Visa Diplomatic Row Today

“As negotiated between the two Heads of State, this immediate restoration of flight activity, through these two airlines and between the two countries, does not involve any immediate payment by the Nigerian government.

“In recognition of President Tinubu’s economic development diplomacy drive and proposals today presented by President Tinubu to his counterpart, an agreed framework has been established, which will involve several billions of U.S. dollars worth of new investments into the Nigerian economy across multiple sectors, including defence, agriculture, and others, by the investment arms of the Government of the United Arab Emirates,” the statement read.

However, a statement issued by the UAE government on Monday stated that during the meeting, both presidents “explored opportunities for further bilateral collaboration” with the hope of “reinforcing ties between the UAE and Nigeria,” but did not mention easing the visa ban or resuming flights.

Ajuri later indicated in an interview that Nigerians should not expect to start flying to the UAE right now since officials from both nations required more time to negotiate agreement details, contradicting his earlier stance.

According to local media sources citing the Dubai Land Department, Nigerians were among Dubai’s greatest foreign real estate investors before the pandemic, with assets totalling roughly $2 billion.

Before the ban, Emirates Airlines operated two daily flights from Lagos, Nigeria, to Dubai, as well as one daily trip from Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, to Dubai.