July 15, (THEWILL) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has lifted the visa ban it imposed on Nigerian travellers.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this to State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Monday.
The Minister said, “Nigeria has been discussing with the UAE over the ban on Nigerians travelling to that country, but today an agreement has been reached on that.
“Now, Nigerian passport holders can be issued a visa to travel to the United Arab Emirates.”
THEWILL recalls that the government of UAE banned nationals of 20 African countries, including Nigeria, from entering Abu Dhabi, its capital, since October 2022. Flights between both countries were also stopped after Dubai’s Emirates Airline suspended its operations in Nigeria, citing trapped revenues.
Recall that Emirates Airline, on May 16, had announced plans to resume flight operations to Nigeria on October 1, 2024.
Speaking on Saturday, during an interview with Otega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Keyamo acknowledged that while a resolution was reached between President Tinubu and UAE President, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during a working visit to the UAE in September 2023, additional processes were required before the ban could be officially lifted.
Earlier, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, disclosed that the UAE government will soon reveal the date to lift the visa ban.
“After that high-level meeting, Mr. President, credit to him, made things very easy for us all. We did our follow-ups as his ministers. We have done everything. We have resolved everything. Just wait for the announcement from the UAE government, and that announcement is imminent,” Keyamo said in an interview on June 17, 2024.
