UAE yet to lift ban on visa for Nigerians – Presidency

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has not resumed visa services for Nigerian citizens wishing to visit the country, the Presidency said yesterday. Speculations have been rife, following reports that UAE on March 4 lifted the visa restriction on Nigerian travellers. But the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga in […]

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has not resumed visa services for Nigerian citizens wishing to visit the country, the Presidency said yesterday.

Speculations have been rife, following reports that UAE on March 4 lifted the visa restriction on Nigerian travellers.

But the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga in a post on his X handle, formerly Twitter on Tuesday said the development was not true.

According to him, “UAE has not resumed visa issuance to Nigerians. The document in circulation is not authorized either by the Nigerian government or the UAE.”

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Recalled that in October 2022, the UAE implemented a ban on citizens from approximately 20 African nations from entering the country including Nigeria.

Other countries affected include, Uganda, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin, Ivory Coast, Congo, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Comoros, and the Dominican Republic.

The UAE authorities issued a notice to trade partners and travel agents, instructing them to reject all applications from such countries.

Meanwhile, since the ban, the UAE and Nigeria have been engaging in diplomatic disputes concerning flight allocations and travel restrictions with the two countries yet to find a breakthrough.