President Bola Tinubu will meet with the leadership of the United Arab Emirates by 5pm UAE time, in a bid to resolve the Emirates Airline flight suspension to Nigeria, visa ban and other diplomatic issues today.
The Minister for Aviation and Aerospace management, Festus Keyamo, had on Sunday night travelled to the Middle-East country to meet with the President who had a stopover after exiting the G20 summit in India.
Speaking with our correspondent, the Aviation and Aerospace Management Minister, Festus Keyamo, SAN confirmed that he travelled on Sunday night and that officials of the two countries will meet by 5 pm Today.
“I am in Abu Dhabi to join Mr President to sort out the twin issues of Dubai visas and Emirates flights to Nigeria. Both leaders are meeting by 5 pm Today,” the minister said in a chat with our correspondent.
The UAE imposed the visa ban on Nigerians in October 2022, shortly after Emirates Airlines suspended flights to Nigeria. The move was reportedly in response to Nigeria’s failure to repatriate billions of dollars in trapped funds.
The visa ban has had a significant impact on bilateral relations between the two countries. It has made it more difficult for Nigerians to travel to the UAE for business, education, and tourism.
The Nigerian airline, Air Peace, had also suspended its flights to Dubai due to the UAE’s decision to halt visa issuance to potential travelers.
During a meeting with Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria at Aso Rock last month, the President issued a directive to promptly address matters concerning relations with Emirates Airline and the issuance of visas to Nigerians. He emphasized his willingness to personally intervene in resolving these issues.
