Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reached a final agreement to lift the visa ban imposed on Nigerian travelers and to promptly resume flights operated by Etihad and Emirates Airlines.
This development comes in the wake of President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the emirate on Monday, following his participation in the G20 summit in New Delhi, India.
During the reception of the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Salem Al-Shamsi, President Tinubu expressed his commitment to personally facilitate the restoration of amicable relations with the emirate.
A statement from the presidential spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, clarified that the immediate reinstatement of flights by these airlines between the two nations does not entail any immediate financial commitment from the Nigerian government.
“In recognition of President Tinubu’s economic diplomacy efforts and the proposals he presented to his counterpart today, an agreed framework has been established. This framework will involve substantial investments, amounting to several billion US dollars, into the Nigerian economy across various sectors, including defence and agriculture, by the investment entities of the UAE Government.
Furthermore, President Tinubu has successfully negotiated a joint foreign exchange liquidity programme between the two governments, with detailed announcements forthcoming in the coming weeks.”
President Tinubu expressed his appreciation to UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his unwavering friendship and commitment to normalising relations between the two nations.
In October 2022, the UAE authorities imposed a visa ban on Nigerians, coinciding with the suspension of Emirates flights. In response, Nigerian airline Air Peace also ceased its Dubai flights due to the UAE’s suspension of visa issuance for prospective travellers.
