Ties between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have dipped to a new low with an indefinite visa ban by that country on all categories of Nigerian applicants. All pending applications stand rejected, without provision for refund of fees already paid, and new applications aren’t welcome. The UAE made that decision known in a notice late last week to her trade partners in Nigeria including travel agents.
According to reports, the UAE in the notice said the visa suspension will last until resolution of issues between her and the Nigerian government. She did not disclose what the issues were, but they’re apparently linked with trapped aviation revenue owing to scarcity of foreign exchange in Nigeria. “All Dubai applications submitted are now rejected. It is general for Nigerians and approvals are on hold at the moment. Kindly advise your clients to resubmit applications when the issue is resolved between both governments,” the notice to travel agents stated. That general ban came just a little over one month after the UAE stopped issuing tourist visas to Nigerians under age 40. For many months since 2021, both countries have tussled over aviation slots for respective airlines, resulting for some time in mutual flight bans.
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The UAE appears to be targeting Nigerian travelers to its domain for a raw deal, but Nigerians can’t stop thronging Dubai. This week alone, hundreds of stranded Nigerians were evacuated back home, with many saying they were denied work permits owing to a new visa policy restricting opportunities for this country’s nationals. And even as we speak, a Nigerian lady, Dinchi Lar, is under one-year prison sentence in the UAE for recording and posting on her Twitter handle on 31st August the ill-treatment of Nigerians at Dubai airport, which that country adjudges to be cybercrime even though she subsequently deleted the post. Dinchi was sentenced on 12th October after having been detained since 6th September. Nigerian government says she has a 15-day window to appeal the verdict and has promised her moral and consular assistance.
Authorities in the UAE aren’t making any effort to disguise their hostility towards Nigerians. But Nigerians won’t stop travelling to that country, and so it is imperative for the Nigerian government to iron out the issues at stake in the interest of Nigerian travellers. Trouble also is that many of the travellers are tourist or study visa holders turned economic migrants. If we would be respected, we must earn that respect by honouring the terms on which visas are issued or apply for the right visa to begin with. But then, it’s unacceptable for the UAE to profile Nigerians. Totally unacceptable.