The UAE has thrown a spanner in the works of the Nigerian government’s claims amidst excitement over the lifting of a visa ban it placed in 2022.
A United Arab Emirates (UAE) government representative has denied claims that the country had lifted the 2022 visa restriction it had imposed on Nigerian travelers.
The official told CNN earlier on Friday, on condition of anonymity: “There are no changes on the Nigeria/UAE travel status so far.”
The government of Nigeria’s viewpoint is at odds with this.
The nation’s administration claimed in a statement on Monday that both parties had agreed to immediately suspend the prohibition on Nigerians receiving visas.
In October 2022, the UAE released a statement saying it would no longer issue visas to Nigerian nationals and citizens of 19 other African countries.
This move garnered mixed reactions from Nigerians, but the Arab nation did not provide more information on the reason for the ban.
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The presidency’s Monday statement signed by Ajuri Ngelale, President Bola Tinubu’s spokesman, painted a picture of diplomatic success that culminated in the lifting of the ban and restoration of flight operations between both countries.
That statement read in part, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Monday in Abu Dhabi, have finalised a historic agreement, which has resulted in the immediate cessation of the visa ban placed on Nigerian travelers.
“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.”
When the UAE released their account of the events of the same meeting, they said that both parties “explored opportunities for further bilateral collaboration” with the hope of “reinforcing ties between the UAE and Nigeria.” It did not confirm what the Nigerian government said about the visa ban.
