By Nnabuike Umeh (Foreign Affairs Correspondent)
Contrary to earlier claims by the Nigerian Government, as reported in the media, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had scored a diplomatic breakthrough in prevailing on the United Arab Emirate government to lift its visa travel ban on Nigerians, the report is totally untrue.
The UAE which came out on Friday to contradict the claims, told the USA based Cable Network News (CNN) that the ban still remains in force until it is formally or officially lifted.
An official from the Gulf state who preferred to speak anonymously because he was not authorized to speak to the media on the matter, told the CNN on Friday, September 15, 2023, that: “There are no changes on the Nigeria/UAE travel status so far".
In a notice last October, the UAE said it will no longer issue visas to citizens from Nigeria and 19 other African nations. It did not provide further details. Obtaining a 30-day tourist visa was relatively easy until the UAE abruptly stopped issuing visas to Nigerian nationals.
Flights between both countries were stopped last year after Dubai’s Emirates Airline suspended its operations in Nigeria citing trapped revenues.
The carrier said it could not access and repatriate its funds amounting to $85 million withheld in Nigeria.
Earlier this week, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu met with UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi where both men “finalized a historic agreement,” according to a statement released by the Nigerian government had claimed in the statement that the agreement paved the way for the lifting of the visa ban, including the immediate resumption of flights between both countries.
“Furthermore, by this historic agreement, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay,” a statement by Nigeria’s presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, said.
A statement by the UAE government later on Monday, said both leaders had during the meeting, “explored opportunities for further bilateral collaboration” with the hope of “reinforcing ties between the UAE and Nigeria,” but did not mention lifting the visa ban or flights restarting. NNL.