Officials from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have arrived in Nigeria to engage in discussions with the federal government regarding the resumption of commercial flights and the issuance of visas to Nigerians, News About Nigeria gathered.
The visit is part of the ongoing efforts to resolve issues that led to the suspension of flights and the imposition of visa restrictions.
The five-member UAE delegation, consisting of Almannaei Khalid, Janahi Asma, Alshehhu Rasheed, Teo Teck San, and Alhosani Talal, landed in Nigeria on Sunday.
Their visit follows negotiations between President Bola Tinubu and Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on September 10.
According to a top official from Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UAE delegation is collaborating with relevant Nigerian officials to finalise the terms of the agreements reached during the Abu Dhabi discussions.
The team is divided into two groups: one focused on resolving visa suspension issues, and the other comprising Emirates Airlines executives, working on the resumption of commercial flights.
The source explained that the visit is aimed at ironing out the remaining details of the agreements.
Once these final touches are completed in the coming days or weeks, it is expected that flight restrictions and visa bans will be lifted.
This will enable UAE airlines and Nigeria’s Air Peace to resume their normal routes between the two countries.
The strained relations between Nigeria and the UAE arose in October 2022 when the Emirati government imposed a visa ban on Nigerian passengers and suspended Emirates Airlines flights to Nigeria.
The UAE’s actions were a response to Nigeria’s failure to repatriate blocked funds amounting to billions of dollars belonging to Emirates Airlines.
