UAE Visa Ban: President Buhari Calls For Suspension Of UAE Visa Ban, Asks Emirates Airline To Resume Flights Operations
Written by Olarotimi Oshin on February 14, 2023
President Muhammadu Buhari has called on the United Arab Emirates, UAE, government to lift its visa ban on Nigerians. The president also requested for the resumption of the suspended operations of Emirates Airline in the country.
President Buhari disclosed his position on Tuesday during a telephone conversation with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
However, in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, President Buhari requested that his UAE counterpart review the blanket visa ban imposed on Nigerians intending to travel to the UAE.
The President recalled that mutually beneficial excellent relations have subsisted between the two nations over many years, symbolised by robust economic interactions and regular consultations on matters of common interest, including engagements at the highest political levels.
On the issue of Emirates airline suspension of flights operations in Nigeria, President Buhari assured the UAE leader that the issue of the Emirates funds was receiving appropriate attention alongside those of other foreign airlines operating in Nigeria, adding that the Central Bank of Nigeria had been directed to increase foreign exchange allocation to the airline.
