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This week, President Muhammadu Buhari called for the lifting of a blanket visa ban imposed on Nigerians by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government.
Recently, the United Arab Emirates’ immigration department notified its trading partners and travel agencies that it would stop visa applications from 22 countries, 20 of which were African.
Nigeria is on the list of countries affected by the visa ban. Other countries include Uganda, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Congo, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bi Shaoxing, Comoros and Dominican Republic.
The ban was announced in a statement issued by UAE immigration authorities to its trading partners in Nigeria, including travel agencies.
Dubai authorities announced a suspension of all applications until the issues between the UAE and Nigerian governments are resolved.
“All submitted Dubai applications have now been rejected,” the statement said. “This is common for Nigerians and approval is currently on hold.”
President Buhari made the call during a phone conversation with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also the emir of Abu Dhabi.
In fact, Buhari had called Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to offer his condolences on the death of his mother-in-law, Sheikh Mariam Al Farasi, during which time important issues of mutual concern to both countries arose .
Of course, given the level of trade between the two countries, the President is right to ask his Emirati counterparts to review the blanket visa ban on Nigerians intending to travel to the UAE.
The President was also right to point to the mutually beneficial relationship that has existed between the two countries for many years, marked by robust economic interaction and regular consultations on issues of mutual concern, including contacts at the highest political levels.
He said the recent irritation in bilateral relations over consular issues related to the behavior of some Nigerians in the UAE was being addressed, explaining that no country condones criminal and illegal behaviour.
Although this round of visa ban is not unique to Nigeria, many people believe that it is inseparable from the recent diplomatic standoff between the oil-rich Gulf state and Africa’s most populous country. However, the question remains: How will this conflict benefit both countries?
In August 2021, a viral message on Twitter showed how some Nigerians were detained and mistreated against their will at Dubai airport despite carrying valid travel documents.
The Nigerian Diaspora Committee (NiDCOM) said this may have something to do with some Nigerians breaking new visa rules in Dubai, prompting the government to evacuate more than 500 citizens stranded in the UAE.
In fact, some Nigerians are suspected of engaging in criminal activities such as cybercrime. This has led to new visa regulations, including age restrictions and a family-focused visa regime.
Still, it can be argued that while the visa ban promises to curb the crime wave, it should not be implemented before there is a clear economic advantage, especially in a time of free movement of citizens between the two countries.
Therefore, the two countries should seek an amicable and permanent diplomatic solution to end the visa dispute. The UAE and Nigeria should take note of their mutually beneficial relationship.
After all, the airline industry alone carries over 1,000 passengers to Dubai every day, making the Nigerian aviation market on this route vital.
There are many Nigerians running legitimate businesses in Sharjah, Dubai, and other parts of the UAE due to the businesses that are conducted by citizens of these countries. It is unfair for the UAE to be insensitive to their situation.
In the long run, a complete and comprehensive visa ban, for whatever reason, would be counterproductive for both countries.
Likewise, the visa dispute between Nigeria and the UAE has unnerved Nigerian students in the UAE, where Nigeria has a vibrant and legitimate student population.
In fact, thousands of Nigerians travel to the UAE every year for leisure, medical tourism, education and business. Dubai is also a great real estate investment destination for wealthy Nigerians.
Airlines operating between Nigeria and the UAE are estimated to have lost billions of naira since the UAE government started halting flights from Nigeria.
There are an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 Nigerians in the UAE, and many believe the country’s new visa regime, which bans work permits for Nigerians, violates international conventions.
Therefore, durable diplomatic solutions should be sought on outstanding issues such as immigration and airline operations in the interests of both countries.
Thankfully, the President has indicated that Nigeria is prepared to go through the due judicial process to impose the necessary sanctions on anyone found to have committed criminal acts in the UAE.
Equally important, the President called on the relevant security/intelligence agencies of both countries to address this issue and come up with durable solutions to problems related to crime and lawlessness.
Agree with the President that the suspension of Emirates Airline operations in the country should be lifted.
Emirates suspended operations in Nigeria in 2022 due to the inability to repatriate funds stranded in Nigeria.
To show Nigeria’s sincerity in resolving the matter, it is important to commend President Buhari for telling his Emirati counterparts that the Emirates Airline funding issue will be resolved soon.
Notably, the President should be commended for instructing the Central Bank of Nigeria to increase foreign exchange allocations to airlines.
Incoming GAVI CEO Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate
President Muhammad Buhari on Wednesday congratulated Dr Muhammad Ali Pater on becoming the CEO of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.
Dr. Pate, a recognized global health leader with experience at the national and international levels, will lead Gavi as it continues its work in support of global routine immunization, outbreak response and COVID-19 vaccination.
Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate was selected following a year-long recruitment process under the personal supervision of Professor José Manuel Barroso, Chairman of the Gavi Board of Directors, and will bring a wealth of experience to the position.
Dr. Pate, a physician trained in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases with an MBA from Duke University, USA, was Minister of Health of Nigeria from 2011 to 2013.
In this role, he led a flagship program to restore routine vaccination and primary health care, chaired the Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication, and introduced new vaccines to the country.
During his tenure as World Bank Director of Global Health, Nutrition and Population and Director of the World Bank’s Global Financing Facility from 2019 to 2021, he led the Bank’s $18 billion global health response to COVID-19 and represented the Bank in several The board includes Gavi, Global Fund, CEPI and UNAIDS.
He is currently the Julio Frenk Professor of Public Health Leadership at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and has served on numerous health-focused committees and panels in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors throughout his career.
Dr. Pate will take office on August 3, 2023, succeeding Dr. Seth Berkley, who will step down after 12 years.
The president said he looked forward to working closely with Nigerian Pate to strengthen the country’s health system and address other global health issues.
The President described Dr. Pate crossing racial and other barriers to become the first black/African to lead GAVI as a very important historical moment for Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
“We hope that Dr Pate will use his knowledge, expertise and very extensive experience in vaccine and immunization management in Nigeria and many parts of Africa to increase access to vaccines and further reduce the disturbing child mortality on the continent and across all regions levels according to his job needs around the world,” he said. “Congratulations, Nigeria is proud of your achievements.”
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