In a bid to resolve the longstanding diplomatic issues between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), President Bola Tinubu is set to meet with UAE leadership during a technical stopover in Abu Dhabi today.
The President’s spokesperson, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, confirmed this pivotal development in a statement released to the press.
The UAE authorities imposed a visa ban on Nigerians in October 2022, shortly after Emirates Airline suspended its flights to Nigeria. This decision had a cascading effect as Nigerian carrier, Air Peace, also suspended its operations in Dubai, following the halt in the issuance of visas to prospective travelers by the UAE.
Emirates Airlines’s suspension of flights was primarily attributed to difficulties in repatriating funds from Nigeria.
However, President Tinubu’s recent meeting with UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, at Aso Rock in Abuja last month marked a turning point. During this meeting, President Tinubu emphasized his commitment to resolving the issues affecting relations between the two nations and expressed his readiness to personally intervene.
“We are a family in the UAE; we only live in separate rooms, but we are 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 erring son or daughter, but we must work together. We need to agree on core aviation and immigration issues,” President Tinubu had stated.
In the latest announcement, Chief Ajuri Ngelale said, “President Bola Tinubu will meet with the leadership of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during a technical stopover in Abu Dhabi, UAE, after the President’s departure from New Delhi, India.”
“The meeting will serve as a follow-up discussion to address specific, salient issues within the bilateral relationship after conversations held during a recent visit by the UAE Ambassador to the President at the State House in Abuja.”
Ngelale continued, “The President is maximizing the opportunity of the stopover to equally advance his investment promotion objectives with high-level authorities in the public and private sectors of the United Arab Emirates.”
This development follows President Tinubu’s successful investment drive on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit and his active participation in the summit itself. Following the bilateral engagement in the UAE, the President is expected to return to Abuja immediately.
The meeting between President Tinubu and the UAE leadership holds the promise of thawing the diplomatic freeze and reestablishing fruitful relations between the two nations, offering hope for the resumption of flights and the lifting of the visa ban that has affected both countries’ citizens and businesses.
