The United Arab Emirates has contradicted claims by the Nigerian government that it is to lift a year-long visa ban on Nigerian travelers.
“There are no changes on the Nigeria/UAE travel status so
far,” an official from the Gulf state told CNN
The source asked not to be named because he is not
authorized to speak to the media.
The UAE said in a notice last October it will no longer
issue visas to citizens from Nigeria and 19 other African nations. It did not
provide further details. Obtaining a 30-day tourist visa was relatively easy
until the UAE abruptly stopped issuing the visas to Nigerian nationals.
Flights between both countries were stopped last year after
Dubai’s Emirates airline suspended its operations in Nigeria citing trapped
revenues.
The carrier said it could not access and repatriate its
funds amounting to $85 million withheld in Nigeria.
Earlier this week, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu met with
UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi where both men “finalized a
historic agreement,” according to a statement released by the Nigerian
government.
The government said in the statement that the agreement
paved the way for the lifting of the visa ban, including the immediate
resumption of flights between both countries.
“Furthermore, by this historic agreement, both Etihad
Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into
and out of Nigeria, without any further delay,” a statement by Nigeria’s
presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said.
However, a statement by the UAE government later Monday said
both leaders had during the meeting, “explored opportunities for further
bilateral collaboration” with the hope of “reinforcing ties between the UAE and
Nigeria,” but did not mention lifting the visa ban or flights restarting.
In a follow-up statement, Nigerian government spokesman
Ngelale said officials from both countries needed more time to finalize
agreement details, contradicting his earlier statement.
“Given the agreement struck between the two Heads of State,
there is need to allow cabinet officials from both sides to work out the finer
details and finalize the cross-sectoral agreements,” he said, adding that
“Everyone can now allow the process to work itself out organically, devoid of
speculation.”
An elite’s playground
There was much jubilation from excited Nigerians when it was
announced that the visa ban was lifted.
Dubai is a popular destination for thousands of Nigerian
tourists. It is also a haven for real-estate investors from the country.
Before the pandemic, Nigerians ranked among Dubai’s largest
foreign real-estate investors, with investments valued at nearly $2 billion,
according to local media reports citing the Dubai Land Department.
Before the ban, Emirates Airlines operated two daily flights
from Lagos, Nigeria, to Dubai, and one daily flight from the capital Abuja to
Dubai. © CNN
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