Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are set to hold discussions in the coming days to resolve lingering visa issues affecting Nigerian travelers.
According to Magnus Eze, media aide to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, the decision was reached during a courtesy visit by the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Alshamsi, to Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Many Nigerians currently face difficulties in obtaining UAE visas, particularly for tourism.
Acknowledging the long-standing diplomatic and strategic ties between both nations, Odumegwu-Ojukwu emphasised that Nigeria has remained committed to its relationship with the UAE.
She highlighted Dubai’s popularity among Nigerians, noting that approximately 12,000 Nigerians reside in the UAE, including unskilled workers, professionals, and students.
In 2015 alone, nearly a million Nigerians visited the UAE, spending between $100 million and $150 million on visas and over $1 billion on shopping, excluding other expenses like school fees and tourism-related costs.
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Given the economic imbalance in trade relations, the minister stressed the need for enhanced collaboration to better serve Nigeria’s economic interests.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said: “There have been numerous concerns about the status of visa for the UAE. Even some top government officials are worried and they raise the concerns. Is there a new visa policy for UAE? You need to let Nigerians know. We need to know what to tell our citizenry. Nigerians have invested massively in property in UAE, hosting conferences and tourism.”
The minister also disclosed that another joint commission between the two countries was due after the one hosted by the UAE in 2022.
“We want to reciprocate by hosting the joint commission in Nigeria. There are several bilateral issues such as power, renewable energy and the rest of the things that we need to deliberate on.
“We hope that with the joint commission, we will be able to handle those MOUs that have not been treated. And we will achieve a lot,” the minister said.
The minister also thanked the UAE for the large consignment of relief materials it recently donated to support flood victims across the country, and vaccines for chicken pox patients to support Nigeria’s health institutions.
In his remarks, Ambassador Alshamsi congratulated Odumegwu-Ojukwu on her recent appointment as Minister of State even as he expressed delight over the achievements recorded in the Nigeria-UAE relations in over 50 years.
The Ambassador disclosed that he had for over one and half years he assumed duties in Abuja issued visas to government officials and private persons, explaining that an appointed agent handled visas for private applicants.
He gave his commitment to addressing the difficulties faced by Nigerian visa seekers as well as optimizing the various MOUs signed by both countries to foster different economic partnerships and the promotion of trade and investment.
“We have increased visa issuance through the agent. I have zero visa rejection since I came to Nigeria. Since I arrived a year and half ago, I make sure that I issue visas. We have issued over 700 tourism visas from July 2024.
“Sometimes, we might disagree on some issues, but there is nothing personal. But we could still resolve and agree. We want you to see us as part of your team, we are partners.
“We have signed three or four agreements and would soon sign another major agreement. We must try and sign more agreements before our President’s visit to Nigeria in the second quarter of this year.
“But we would hold a meeting to resolve these issues,” the envoy assured.
