The dispute surrounding the relaxation of the UAE’s restriction on granting visas to citizens of Nigeria has been clarified by the Presidency, who notes that this doesn’t imply airlines will start operating right once.
In spite of the lifting of the visa ban on the UAE, Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media & Publicity, on Wednesday stated via a post on X (Twitter) that government representatives from Nigeria and the UAE would still need to “hammer out the details of the agreement for ratification and execution.”
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In the post, Ajayi explained the situation surrounding the Nigeria-UAE deal.
He said diplomatic/bilateral agreements “is simply a contract through which two countries exchange promises to perform”.
He alao noted, “I think it is wrong-headed to indulge in any fact-checking expedition without first having basic knowledge of the subject.
“In diplomacy, when two leaders engage and reach a deal on any issue at the bilateral level, as our President and UAE President did, the next is for concerned officials of both countries, at the ministerial level, to hammer out the details of the agreement for ratification and execution.
“That President Tinubu and his counterpart in UAE agreed to lift of visa ban on Nigerians and resumption of flights between the two countries does not mean Etihad, Emirates and Air Peace Airlines will start boarding passengers the next day.
“A diplomatic/bilateral agreement is simply a contract through which two countries exchange promises to perform. One country’s promise will only serve as consideration for the promise of the other – Nigeria and UAE, in this instance.”
EXPLAINER ON NIGERIA-UAE DEAL!
A number of online news platforms have gotten over themselves, engaging in a misdirected fact-checking excercise on whether or not UAE actually lifted the visa ban on Nigerians, following the meeting between Presidents Tinubu and Mohamed bin Zayed… pic.twitter.com/Y7BiZAyZRR
— Temitope Ajayi (@TheTope_Ajayi) September 13, 2023
The United Arab Emirates will lift a visa ban placed on Nigerian travelers almost a year ago following an agreement with President Bola Tinubu, who is on a visit to the Middle Eastern nation.
As part of the agreement with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline will resume flights to and from the West African nation, said Ajuri Ngelale, spokesman for Nigeria’s president, in a statement on Monday.
“This immediate restoration of flight activity, through these two airlines and between the two countries, does not involve any immediate payment by the Nigerian government,” he said.
Emirates suspended flights to Nigeria last year over challenges in repatriating funds from the West African nation and Etihad at the start of the pandemic.
Separately, Nigeria was among 20 African countries that the UAE placed visa restrictions on in October without giving a reason.
