Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has announced the resolution of the visa dispute between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates, paving the way for the UAE government to soon lift the travel restrictions preventing Nigerians from visiting the UAE, especially Dubai.
According to The PUNCH, Keyamo shared this update during a welcome dinner for delegates at the International Air Transport Association 80th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Dubai, UAE, on Monday.
The UAE had imposed the visa ban on Nigerians amidst several diplomatic disagreements. President Bola Tinubu intervened in August 2023 to address the visa issuance conflict and the standoff with Emirates Airlines, which had ceased operations to Nigeria due to the disputes.
In front of an audience of over 2,000 delegates, Keyamo entered the hall alongside Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, to a warm reception.
Speaking to journalists at the event, Keyamo confirmed that the visa denial issues have been resolved and that only finalizing the procedures for lifting the visa ban remains.
He said, “The issue of visa has been resolved just the announcement remaining. They want to dot the I’s and cross the T’s. The announcement will be in a couple of weeks.”
Keyamo emphasized that his trip to Dubai was essential to foster strong diplomatic ties with nations worldwide.
He said, “The UAE is considered as a very important partner in Nigeria. Nigerians have a lot of stakes here in the UAE with a lot of investments. What we are doing is to make sure that we make it easy for millions of Nigerians who have put a lot of pressure on us to ensure that we open up this route again and secondly to make the visa application easier. I am sure you can see the way I was received here. That is to tell you how they value Nigeria.
“I was on the same ride with the ruler of Dubai, the Minister and the head of Emirates Group and all the top shots of Emirates. There was no other person given that privilege here; that is to tell you how much they value us and they want Nigeria to see it in that light. They have opened up again to us. They have started to trust us again and I want to say thank you to them. I will take it from here on.”
