Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are planning to meet to address Nigerians’ challenges when applying for UAE visas.
According to a statement by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria and the UAE will meet in the coming days to finalise all outstanding visa issues. This decision was reached during a meeting between the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Alshamsi, and Mrs. Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
The minister touted Nigeria’s blooming relationship with the UAE, acknowledging the diplomatic relations and strategic partnerships that have seen the city of Dubai become a destination of choice for many Nigerians. Officially, 12,000 Nigerians, including unskilled workers, professionals, and students in various institutions, live in the UAE.
The minister also seeks to tap the Nigeria-UAE discussions to reinvent the predominantly one-sided economic relations between the two countries and enhance Nigeria’s economic interests. According to her, in 2015 alone, almost a million Nigerians visited the UAE, especially Dubai, spending between $100 million and $150 million on visas alone, and over $1 billion, mainly on shopping sprees, exclusive of amounts spent on traders’ goods, payment of school fees, tourism and other related economic activities.
“There have been numerous concerns about the status of visas for the UAE. Even some top government officials are worried, and they raise their concerns. Is there a new visa policy for the UAE? You need to let Nigerians know. We need to know what to tell our citizenry. Nigerians have invested massively in property in UAE, hosting conferences and tourism,” Mrs. Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated.
The minister also thanked the UAE for the large consignment of relief materials recently donated to support flood victims across the country and vaccines for chicken pox patients to support Nigeria’s health institutions.
Disclosing the need for another joint commission between the two countries after the one hosted by the UAE in 2022, the minister stated, “We want to reciprocate by hosting the joint commission in Nigeria. There are several bilateral issues such as power, renewable energy and the rest of the things we must deliberate on. We hope that with the joint commission, we will be able to handle those MOUs that have not been treated. And we will achieve a lot.”
In his remarks, Ambassador Alshamsi congratulated Mrs. Odumegwu-Ojukwu on her recent appointment as Minister of State and expressed delight over the upward trajectory of Nigeria-UAE relations in over 50 years.
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The Ambassador said that he had, for over one and a half years, assumed duties in Abuja and issued visas to government officials and private persons. He explained that an appointed agent handled visas for private applicants while promising to address the difficulties faced by Nigerian visa-seekers and optimise the various MOUs signed by both countries to foster different economic partnerships and the promotion of trade and investment.
“We have increased visa issuance through the agent. I have had zero visa rejections since I came to Nigeria. Since arriving a year and a half ago, I have ensured that I issue visas. We have issued over 700 tourism visas from July 2024,” the ambassador said.
“Sometimes, we might disagree on some issues, but there is nothing personal. But we could still resolve and agree. We want you to see us as part of your team, and we are partners. We have signed three or four agreements and will soon sign another major agreement. We must try and sign more agreements before our President visits Nigeria in the second quarter of this year,” Ambassador Alshamsi added while assuring that “we would hold a meeting to resolve these issues.”