During the recent Abu Dhabi meeting between President Tinubu and the UAE’s Al Nahyan, it was revealed that members of the UAE delegation were assigned specific responsibilities.
Some members were entrusted with addressing the terms related to the visa ban, while others, comprising top executives from Emirates Airlines, were focused on the resumption of commercial flights.
President Tinubu and Al Nahyan reached an agreement during their Abu Dhabi discussions. They jointly decided that, in the interest of both nations, the visa ban imposed on Nigerians and the suspension of commercial flights by the UAE should be lifted
The Foreign Affairs source said: “They (UAE officials) came to meet with our own officials who have roles to play in fulfilling the agreements reached in Abu Dhabi. “I believe there are just a few more final touches to be put on the agreements, then those terms will become active.
“In essence, by the time these last steps are finalised, in a matter of days or weeks, the issue of visa ban and flight restrictions would have been sorted and then flights by UAE airlines and our own Air Peace can resume their normal routes.”
Although Nigeria and the UAE have continued to maintain their diplomatic contacts, relations became strained when, in October 2022, the Emirati authorities slammed a visa ban on Nigerian travellers after Emirates Airlines suspended flights to Nigeria.
UAE had reacted to the failure of Nigeria to repatriate billions of dollars trapped funds belonging to Emirates Airlines.
