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Reprieve as UAE lifts visa ban on Nigerians two years after
Reprieve came for many Nigerians as the Federal Government disclosed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has lifted the Visa ban placed on its citizens travelling to UAE.
Minister of Information and National Orientation Alhaji Mohammed Idris announced while briefing State House Correspondents at Monday’s end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
“You are aware that Nigeria has been discussing with the United Arab Emirates on the issue of Visa for Nigerian passport holders going to the United Arab Emirates”.
“Today, an agreement has been reached on that, and effective from today July 15, Nigerian passport holders can obtain visas to go to the United Arab Emirates.
“I can tell you that the agreement has been reached and effective today, Nigerian passport holders intending to travel to the UAE can do so,” said Idris.
In 2022, the UAE immigration department notified its trade partners and travel agencies that it was stopping visa applications from 22 countries, 20 of which are African nations.
Others include Uganda, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin, Ivory Coast, Congo, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Comoros, and the Dominican Republic.
Concerning Nigeria, UAE authorities said all applications were on hold until issues between the UAE government and the Nigerian government were resolved
On August 23, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed that the standoff between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Nigeria over the issuance of visas and outstanding face-off with Emirates Airlines be resolved.
The President offered to personally intervene on the two issues so that people-to-person socio-economic relations between the two countries could resume.
In June at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) 80th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit in Dubai, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus told Aviation Metric that the rift between both nations was almost resolved, adding was ready to lift the travel barriers the country placed on Nigerians, which bars visitors from Nigeria from going to Dubai.
The minister said issues relating to visa denial by the UAE had been resolved, adding that what remained was to fine-tune processes for lifting the visa ban.
He further stated that after that, the announcement would be made in a couple of weeks by the UAE authorities.
His words, “The issue of visa has been resolved just the announcement remaining. They want to dot the Is and cross the Ts. The announcement will be in a couple of weeks.
He noted that his visit to Dubai was necessitated by the need to foster healthy relationships across the world, stressing that that is what the present government is all about laid already by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with the UAE.
“The UAE is considered as a very important partner in Nigeria. Nigerians have a lot of stakes here in the UAE with a lot of investments. What we are doing is to make sure that we make it easy for millions of Nigerians who have put a lot of pressure on us to ensure that we open up this route again and secondly to make the visa application easier. I am sure you can see the way I was received here. That is to tell you how they value Nigeria.”
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