President Muhammadu Buhari has called on the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to lift its blanket visa ban on Nigerians.
This stance was discussed by the President on Tuesday during a phone conversation with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates and concurrent Emir of Abu Dhabi.
To express his condolences on the passing of his mother-in-law, Sheikha Maryam Al Falasi, Buhari had earlier called Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. During their conversation, significant matters of interest to both nations were discussed.
Buhari recommended that his UAE counterpart examine the blanket visa ban imposed on Nigerians wishing to go to the UAE, according to a statement released by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
The President noted the long history of great relations between the two countries, marked by strong economic ties and frequent conversations on issues of mutual concern, including engagements at the highest political levels.
He stated that recent irritants in bilateral relations brought on by consular concerns relating to the conduct of some Nigerians in the UAE are being resolved and that no country, including Nigeria, will tolerate criminalities and illegal behavior.
In light of this, Buhari declared that the Nigerian government was prepared to impose the required punishment through the proper legal channels on anyone found guilty of committing 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.
Recall that in 2022, Emirates Airline decided to stop operating in Nigeria due to its difficulty to repatriate 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.