By Abiola Olawale
The Federal Government of Nigeria and the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have been able to reach a consensus on the diplomatic row between the two nations over visa ms and other bilateral matters.
This is as Nigeria and UAE have signed an agreement for the resumption of visa issuance to travellers with Nigerian passports wishing to travel to the Middle East country.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this known while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday.
The minister disclosed that the agreement took immediate effect.
He said: “You are aware that Nigeria has been discussing with the United Arab Emirates on the issue of visas for Nigerian passport holders going to the United Arab Emirates.
“Today, an agreement has been reached on that, and effective from today 15th July, Nigerian passport holders can obtain visas to go to the United Arab Emirates.
“Details of that will be provided to you later today when we put out a statement.
“But I can tell you that the agreement has been reached, and effective from today, Nigerian passport holders intending to travel to the UAE can do so.”
The New Diplomat reports that this announcement comes more than two years after the UAE suspended visa issuance to Nigerians following a period of protracted diplomatic row with Africa’s most populous nation.
This also comes about two months after UAE national carrier Emirates Airlines announced the resumption of flights to Nigeria. The airline said in May that its daily Lagos-Dubai flights would resume from October 1, 2024.
Emirates Airlines suspended its Dubai-Lagos flights in 2022 over its inability to repatriate trapped funds in Nigeria in the heat of the diplomatic fireworks between the two countries.
Nigeria and the UAE have a long history of restriction of flights between both countries based on certain unresolved issues surrounding the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA). Visa restrictions later surfaced as diplomatic fireworks continued between Nigeria and the UAE, which is a top destination for Nigerian migrants and tourists.
In September 2023, President Bola Tinubu met with UAE President, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi, to smoothen the rough edges in the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
