Nigeria, UAE Set To Resolve Visa Challenges

Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are set to engage in high-level discussions in the coming days to resolve the ongoing visa challenges faced by Nigerians.

Naijaonpoint reports that the decision was reached during a meeting between the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Alshamsi, and Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs,

Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, at the Tafawa Balewa House, Abuja. The development was confirmed in a press statement issued by Magnus Eze, Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Sunday.

Nigerians, particularly tourists and business travelers, have faced persistent visa difficulties, raising concerns at both diplomatic and governmental levels.

Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu highlighted the strong diplomatic and economic ties between Nigeria and the UAE but noted that trade relations remain largely one-sided.

“Dubai has become a destination of choice for many Nigerians. Officially, about 12,000 Nigerians live in the UAE, including professionals, students, and unskilled workers. 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 and other economic activities,” she stated.

She further pressed for clarity on any new visa policies affecting Nigerians, saying, “There have been numerous concerns about the visa situation.

Even top government officials have expressed worries. Is there a new visa policy for Nigerians? We need to know what to tell our citizens because Nigerians have made significant investments in property, tourism, and business in the UAE.”

Joint Commission Meeting On The Horizon

The minister also announced Nigeria’s plans to host another joint commission meeting, following the last session held in the UAE in 2022.

“We want to reciprocate by hosting the joint commission in Nigeria. There are several bilateral issues, including power and renewable energy, that we need to discuss. We also need to finalize outstanding *Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs),” she said.

She expressed gratitude to the UAE for its recent donation of relief materials for flood victims and chickenpox vaccines for patients in Nigeria.

UAE Commits To Resolving Visa Issues

In response, Ambassador Alshamsi reassured Nigeria of the UAE’s commitment to resolving visa-related challenges and strengthening bilateral ties.

“I have been in Nigeria for a year and a half, and we have issued visas to both government officials and private applicants. We have increased visa issuance through an appointed agent, and since July 2024, we have issued over 700 tourism visas,” he stated.

He further pledged that the UAE would address outstanding visa concerns and optimize existing agreements between both nations.

“Sometimes we might disagree on certain issues, but it’s nothing personal. We will work together as partners to resolve them. We have signed three or four agreements and will soon sign another major one before our *President’s visit to Nigeria in the second quarter of this year,” Alshamsi added.