Nigeria and a few other African countries have been barred from visiting the UAE since last year, owing to cultism and violence.
For businessmen and women who buy their merchandise from Dubai, are not able to do their trades and this is forcing businesses to close down.
There is need to remedy the situation.
As a result, President Muhammadu Buhari is asking the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reconsider Nigeria.
One of the things he wants them to do is to lift its blanket visa ban on Nigerians.
The President discussed this stance on Tuesday with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates and concurrent Emir of Abu Dhabi, over the phone.
Rethink Blanket Restriction
Prior to calling Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Buhari expressed his condolences for the loss of his mother-in-law, Sheikha Maryam Al Falasi. During their conversation, significant matters of interest to both nations were discussed.
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A statement by President Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, said the President had asked the UAE to rethink its blanket restriction on Nigerians receiving visas for travel to the UAE.
The President underlined that the two countries have maintained outstanding relations that were mutually beneficial for many years.
Despite the fact that no nation, including Nigeria, can tolerate criminal acts and illegal behaviour, he highlighted that recent irritants in bilateral relations brought on by consular problems relating to the behavior of some Nigerians in the UAE are being resolved.
Buhari stated that the Nigerian government was prepared to impose the required punishment through the proper legal channels against anyone found to have committed crimes in the UAE.
He asked that the relevant security and intelligence agencies of the two nations be given the opportunity to tackle the situation and to find long-term solutions to the issues brought on by crimes and other unlawful activities.
According to the statement, Buhari also asked for Emirates Airline’s countrywide operations to resume after they had been halted.
Emirate Airline Ban
In 2022, Emirates Airline decided to stop operating in Nigeria due to difficulties in repatriating its funds that had become stranded there.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has been instructed to increase foreign exchange allocation to the airline, President Buhari added, assuring the leader of the UAE that the issue regarding the Emirates funds is receiving the proper attention along with those of other foreign airlines operating in Nigeria.
