Visa Ban On Nigerians Not Lifted – UAE Confirms

The United Arab Emirates has contradicted claims by the Nigerian government that it is to lift a year-long visa ban on Nigerian travelers.

VerseNews reports that an official from the Gulf state who spoke to CNN and asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media said; “There are no changes on the Nigeria/UAE travel status so far.” 

VerseNews gathered that 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, this Online News Website reported that Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu met with UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi where both men “finalized a historic agreement.”

This development was made known in a statement by the president’s spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale.

Ngelale in the statement said 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,” he 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.