President Muhammadu Buhari is seeking to suspend the United Arab Emirates (UAE) visa ban on Nigerians.
UAE to impose visa ban on Nigerians in October 2022 After a diplomatic row.
“Nigerians have generally been rejected and approval is currently suspended,” Dubai authorities said at the time.
The two countries have disagreed on numerous occasions on the number of flights that Nigerian Air Peace will be allowed to fly to the UAE’s Sharjah airport.
Although Air Peace applied for three spots, it was awarded only one.
Additionally, Emirates, one of the UAE’s flagship airlines, had problems repatriating funds from Nigeria.
Buhari said in a phone conversation with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also the emir of Dubai, on Tuesday that the visa ban should be reviewed because both countries benefited from the relationship.
Buhari had called the UAE president to express his condolences on the death of his mother-in-law, Maryam Al Falasi.
“The President asked his Emirati counterparts to review the blanket visa ban imposed on Nigerians intending to travel to the UAE, recalling that the two countries have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship over the years marked by strong economic interaction and regular consultations on the following issues common interests, including contacts at the highest political level,” presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement.
“He noted that the recent irritation in bilateral relations caused by consular issues related to the conduct of some Nigerians in the UAE was being addressed, explaining that criminal and illegal acts are not condoned by any country, including Nigeria.
“Consequently, President Buhari stated that the Nigerian government is prepared to impose the necessary sanctions through the due judicial process on anyone found guilty of criminal acts in the UAE, and urged that the relevant security/intelligence agencies be allowed to deal with the issue of relations between the two countries, and Propose durable solutions to problems related to crime and delinquency.
“President Buhari has also asked for the resumption of the suspended operations of Emirates Airline in the country.”