The Nigerian president, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu has agreed to personally involve and resolve the Emirates and Dubai Visa Ban issue between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The president made this statement when he received the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria.
Receiving the UAE Ambassador, the President directed that issues affecting relations with the Emirates Airline and issuing visas to Nigerians should be “immediately’’ resolved, emphasizing that he stands prepared to “personally’’ intervene.
“We are a family with the UAE, we only live in separate rooms, but we are in the same house. We should look at the issues as a family problem, and resolve it amicably. As you know in every family, there are peculiarities. You can have an erring son or daughter, but we must work together. We need to agree on core aviation and immigration issues,” the President stated.
The Ambassador of UAE said he already sees himself as a “Nigerian’’ considering the historical antecedents of the country, its long-standing leadership role in Africa, and its reputation for hospitality to strangers.
“Since I arrived in the country, I have been working on 24 agreements. We are getting somewhere. These are small issues, all within a family, and they will be resolved. I am grateful to be here in Nigeria. I am also very grateful to meet His Excellency, President Tinubu, a great leader in Nigeria, and Africa. Please accept me as a Nigerian and consider me a member of your team,” he appealed.
Recall that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development of Nigeria, Festus Keyamo and The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (OON) also met and discussed on how to resolve the same issue.
The second is to work with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to resolve the issue of the resumption of Emirates Airline flights to Dubai/UAE and the related issue of the issuance of Dubai visas to Nigerians. We are presently making progress on these issues.
