President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday called on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government to lift a blanket visa ban on Nigerians.
The president made the request as he expressed his condolences on the death of the mother-in-law of United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed.
“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 meetings on the following issues common interests, including contacts at the highest political level,” presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement.
The UAE imposed a ban on Nigeria in October 2022, barring the entry of Nigerians.
The Nigerian leader acknowledged that some Nigerians may have violated the UAE’s laws, but said that would not be enough to impose a blanket ban. No country, including Nigeria, condones crime and illegality, he said.
Mr Buhari expressed his readiness to impose the necessary sanctions on those who commit crimes in the UAE through due judicial process. He urged that the relevant security/intelligence agencies of both countries be allowed to deal with the issue and come up with durable solutions to problems related to criminal and illegal behaviour.
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He also called for the resumption of the suspended operations of Emirates Airline in Nigeria.
emirates airlines pause The company ceased operations in Nigeria in October 2022 due to the inability to repatriate funds stranded in Nigeria.
Mr Buhari assured that Emirates’ funding issues were being given the same attention as those of other foreign airlines operating in Nigeria.
this central bank of nigeriaHe added that foreign exchange allocations to airlines have been instructed to increase.
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