The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, has disclosed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government will soon reveal the date to lift the visa ban it imposed on Nigerian travellers.
Recall that the government of UAE banned nationals of 20 African countries including Nigeria, from entering Abu Dhabi, its capital, since October 2022. Flights between both countries were also stopped after Dubai’s Emirates airline suspended its operations in Nigeria, citing trapped revenues.
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Also, Emirates Airlines, on May 16, announced plans to resume flight operations to Nigeria on 1st October 2024. Speaking on Saturday, during an interview with Otega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Keyamo acknowledged that while a resolution was reached between President Tinubu and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a working visit to the UAE in September 2023, additional processes were required before the ban could be officially lifted.
The Minister said these processes have now been completed, making the announcement of the lifting of the visa ban by the UAE government imminent.
“After that high-level meeting, Mr President, credited to him, made things very easy for us all. We did our follow-ups as his ministers. We have done everything. We have resolved everything. Just wait for the announcement from the UAE government, and that announcement is imminent”, he said in an interview available on the official YouTube page of the State House of Nigeria.
The Minister, who hinted that he is privy to the date when the travel restriction on Nigerians to the UAE will be officially lifted, however, said he would wait for the official announcement to be made by the UAE government.