Abuja, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, announced on Monday that the UAE will resume issuing visas to Nigerians, following a protracted diplomatic row. This disclosure was made after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
The resumption comes more than two years after the UAE suspended visa issuance to Nigerians and follows Emirates Airlines’ announcement in May to resume daily Lagos-Dubai flights starting October 1, 2024. The airline had suspended flights in 2022 due to issues repatriating funds from Nigeria.
Diplomatic tensions have long affected flight operations between Nigeria and the UAE, driven by unresolved issues related to the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) and visa restrictions. Efforts to mend relations peaked in September 2023, when President Bola Tinubu met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.
