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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 that we need to deliberate on
In order to settle the ongoing visa challenges that are affecting Nigerian travellers, consultations between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are scheduled to take place in the coming days.
It was during a courtesy visit that the United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Alshamsi, made to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, that the decision was made, as stated by Magnus Eze, who is a media adviser to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Obtaining visas for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is currently difficult for a great number of Nigerians, particularly for tourism purposes.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu underlined that Nigeria has stayed committed to its relationship with the United Arab Emirates because of the long-standing diplomatic and strategic ties that exist between the two countries.
She brought attention to the fact that roughly 12,000 Nigerians currently reside in the United Arab Emirates, which includes unskilled labourers, professionals, and students.
She also mentioned that Dubai is a favourite destination among Nigerians. Even without taking into account other expenses such as school fees and costs associated with tourism, approximately one million Nigerians travelled to the United Arab Emirates in 2015. They spent between $100 million and $150 million on visas and over $1 billion on shopping during their trip.
It was also announced by the minister that a second joint commission between the two nations was scheduled to take place following the one that was hosted by the United Arab Emirates in 2022.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated, “There have been numerous concerns about the status of visa for the UAE. Even some top government officials are worried and they raise the concerns.
“Is there a new visa policy for 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.
“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 that we need to deliberate on.
Within his remarks, Ambassador Alshamsi extended his congratulations to Odumegwu-Ojukwu on her recent appointment as Minister of State.
At the same time, he expressed his joy over the accomplishments that have been documented in the Nigeria-UAE relations over the course of more than half a thousand years.
An designated agent was responsible for handling visas for private applicants, according to the Ambassador, who confirmed that he had been assigned duties in Abuja for more than one and a half years and had awarded visas to both government officials and private individuals.
For the purpose of fostering various economic alliances and the development of commerce and investment, he pledged his commitment to overcoming the challenges that Nigerian visa applicants are confronted with, as well as to optimising the many memorandums of understanding (MOUs) that both nations have signed.
“We have increased visa issuance through the agent. I have zero visa rejection since I came to Nigeria. Since I arrived a year and half ago, I make sure that I issue visas. We have issued over 700 tourism visas from July 2024.
“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, we are partners.Â
“We have signed three or four agreements and would soon sign another major agreement. We must try and sign more agreements before our President’s visit to Nigeria in the second quarter of this year. But we would hold a meeting to resolve these issues.”