…Establishes new foreign exchange liquidity programme with Nigeria
…Defence, agriculture, other Nigerian economy sectors billed for billions of U.S. dollars investments
By Moses Adeniyi
Commendation and rejoicing followed as President Tinubu announced that he has successfully secured an agreement for an immediate lift of the visa ban placed on Nigerian travellers to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) yesterday.
The President made this known via his verified social media platforms after diplomatic talks with the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Nigerians took especially to social media network X (formerly known as Twitter) to hail the President.
An X user @mrbayoa1 said, “Any patriotic citizen should be happy about this, getting Nigeria back on track should be our ultimate dream. Well done Mr President.”
Another user @therealdaddymo1 said, “This is a very good move. Tinubu is working. This is more than what Buhari could ever do. Affirmative Action will always be more effective than inaction. Give credit to whom credit is due. His negotiation skills definitely made the difference.”
Festus Kayamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development which accompanied the President also praised Tinubu.
He noted that “Tinubu’s midas touch during the discussion was crucial. He just made my job easier.”
The development was premised on a bilateral meeting between the duo which held in Abu Dhabi, on Monday, where Tinubu appealed to his UAE counterpart to consider the issues that led to the ban as “a family issue” that should be resolved amicably.
The appeal saw the President of UAE lifting the months-long visa ban on Nigerians, with immediate effect.
Consequently, Etihad and Emirates Airlines will resume flight operations in Nigeria immediately.
“President Bola Tinubu and President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Monday in Abu Dhabi, have finalised a historic agreement, which has resulted in the immediate cessation of the visa ban placed on Nigerian travellers
“Furthermore, by this historic agreement, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay,” the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed in a statement he signed Monday.
The agreement comes nearly three weeks after the President expressed his willingness to personally intervene to end the nearly one-year ban.
“We are family with the UAE; we only live in separate rooms but in the same house. We should look at the issues as a family problem and resolve it amicably. As you know, in every family, there are peculiarities.
“You can have an earring son or daughter, but we must work together. We need to agree on core aviation and immigration issues,” Tinubu told the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, at the State House on Friday, August 24, 2023.
It marked the first occasion in which Tinubu addressed the deadlock that led to the suspension of flights to Nigeria by Emirates, the UAE’s national carrier.
In October 2022, the UAE banned nationals of about 20 African countries from entering its borders.
“This is to inform you that we will not be posting 30 days visa applications for these nationalities effective today, October 18, 2022,” the notice had partly read.
Countries affected include Uganda, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin, Ivory Coast, Congo, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Comoros, and the Dominican Republic.
In a notice issued to trade partners, including travel agents, Emirati authorities directed that all applications be rejected.
“Any applications from the above-mentioned countries will be sent back or cancelled,” the authorities had said.
The restriction, however, did not affect persons holding diplomatic passports.
Since the ban, diplomatic talks between Nigeria and UAE on the travel restrictions had scarcely yielded any fruit.
In February, efforts by former President Muhammadu Buhari in appeal to Al Nahyan via telephone to lift the visa ban failed.
On the recent development, Ngelale noted that the immediate restoration of flight activity through Emirates and Etihad Airlines and between the two countries does not involve any immediate payment by the Nigerian government.
The President’s spokesman disclosed that in recognition of Tinubu’s economic development and diplomacy drive and proposals presented to his counterpart, an agreed framework has been established.
The framework will involve “several billions of U.S. dollars’ worth of new investments into the Nigerian economy across multiple sectors, including defence, agriculture and others, by the investment arms of the Government of the United Arab Emirates,” the statement read in part.
According to the statement titled ‘President Tinubu secures landmark deal with United Arab Emirates across sectors; visa ban on Nigerian travellers is lifted immediately,’ Tinubu successfully negotiated a joint, new foreign exchange liquidity programme between the two Governments, which Ngelale said will be announced in detail in the coming weeks.
Tinubu commended the UAE President, Al Nahyan, for his unalloyed friendship and determined effort to join hands with him to fully normalise and reset the standard of relations between the two important countries to excellence.
The President, who ended his stopover in Abu Dhabi, is expected to return to Abuja immediately.