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.
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.”
