The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is but to elevate the visa restriction on Nigerian travellers after a two-year diplomatic row, President Bola Tinubu’s spokesman stated on Tuesday.
A doc credited to the UAE Embassy, Abuja in circulation on social media claimed that the UAE has lifted the restriction on journey visa for Nigerians. It claimed that Tinubu and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had conferences to achieve an settlement after a two-year diplomatic row between the international locations.
“All Nigerian candidates for UAE visas are required to first get hold of a Doc Verification Quantity This important step is to be accomplished by visiting the devoted on-line Doc Verification Hub platform (official hyperlink https://documentverficationhub.com,” part of the doc stated.
Nonetheless, Bayo Onanuga, a spokesman for the Nigerian president stated the doc was not approved by Nigeria and the UAE because the content material claimed.
“UAE has not resumed visa issuance to Nigerians. The doc in circulation shouldn’t be approved both by the Nigerian authorities or the UAE,” Onanuga tweeted.
Nigeria and UAE authorities had been enmeshed in a diplomatic row that culminated in UAE’s Emirates Airline halt its flight operations to the West African nation on account of trapped funds since 2022. Emirates Airways places the determine at $85 million.
Nigeria’s chief on the time Muhammadu Buhari had a telephone name with UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the place he appealed for lifting the journey ban on Nigerians.
Buhari instructed Nahyan that he had directed the Central Financial institution of Nigeria (CBN) to extend overseas change allocation to the airline whereas all involved authorities officers had been engaged on the trapped funds.
The Nigerian authorities thereafter stated it launched $265 million to airways working within the nation to settle excellent ticket gross sales. The CBN additionally promised to launch one other $120 million to the worldwide carriers to offset a part of the trapped funds by the top of October 2022.
One month later, Emirates Airways introduced the suspension of inbound and outbound Nigerian flight operations “to mitigate towards additional losses transferring ahead”. The airline has since not resumed operations in Nigeria.