Travel agents excited as UAE lifts visa ban on Nigerians

After two years, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may have lifted the visa ban imposed on Nigerians.

The federal government, through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, yesterday announced that Nigeria and the UAE have reached an agreement on the issue of the visa ban.

Addressing State House reporters at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the minister said, “You are aware that Nigeria has been discussing with the United Arab Emirates on the issue of visa for Nigerian passport holders going to the United Arab Emirates.

“Today, an agreement has been reached on that, and effective today, July 15th, Nigerian passport holders are able to obtain visas to go to the United Arab Emirates.

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“Details of that will be provided to you later today when we put out a statement. But I can tell you that the agreement has been reached and effective from today, Nigerian passport holders intending to travel to the UAE are able to do so.”

Although there has not been any official communication yet from the UAE authorities on the agreement, Daily Trust reports that the lifting of the ban is coming two years after it was imposed amidst the strained relationship between the two countries.

The strained relationship between Nigeria and the UAE dated back to the COVID-19 pandemic era when the countries disagreed over the COVID-19 travel requirements.

The federal government in 2021 suspended Emirates Airlines and in retaliation, the UAE barred Nigerian travellers from visiting Dubai.

After this was resolved, there was another issue between Emirates and Air Peace, Nigeria’s sole carrier flying to the UAE. 

In December 2021, Nigeria reduced Emirates’ 21 weekly flights to Nigeria to one for refusing to grant the three slots requested by Air Peace flying to Sharjah.

The UAE later backtracked and granted Air Peace seven frequencies to Dubai, the UAE’s prime airport.

But after the strained diplomatic relationship, which characterised the post-pandemic travel resumption, the unresolved issues around the Emirates’ trapped funds thereafter worsened the lingering crisis as Emirates suspended all flights to Nigeria in October 2022, citing $85 million trapped funds as the reason.

The authorities also followed with a visa ban on Nigerians and other African countries including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin and Ivory Coast, among others.

But while the ban was lifted on the other countries almost immediately, Nigerian passport holders were still restricted from accessing the UAE visa.

The development left many frequent visitors to Dubai in limbo, especially those who make regular business trips with many of them having to go through neighbouring countries.

Our correspondent reports that apart from businesses, airlines operating between Nigeria and UAE also suffered revenue losses, ditto travel agents who served as the go-between the passengers and the airlines.

Daily Trust in an earlier report in February 2024, estimated that over 3,000 passengers were recorded weekly on the Lagos-Dubai routes as people frequent the country for businesses and leisure with the passengers of Emirates, Air Peace, Ethiopian Airline, Qatar, Royal Air Maroc, Kenya Airways, among others combined.

This implies an estimated loss of $300,000 (N450m at N1500/$) weekly in passenger service charge (PSC) for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) alone and billions in ticket sale charge and cargo sale charge (TSC/CSC) for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority of Nigeria (NCAA).

Our correspondent reports that Nigeria and UAE have a trade relation worth over $750m as of 2022, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) tracking trade data among countries. 

Tinubu’s diplomatic shuttle

It would be recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in August 2023 visited his UAE counterpart in a diplomatic shuttle to straighten the relationship between the two countries.

Months after the diplomatic move yielded fruits as the UAE’s main carrier, Emirates, announced it would resume flights to Nigeria.

The next announcement anticipated by Nigerians was the lifting of the visa ban which the federal government confirmed yesterday, though without official communication yet from the UAE.  

‘Visa channels not yet reopened’

However, the UAE has not opened any of the official visa channels yet, despite the announcement by the Nigerian government.

 Checks by our correspondent on all the social media accounts of the UAE government did not yield any results.  

We hope it will work                     – Nigerians in UAE

 Some Nigerians resident in the UAE who have been stranded for the past two years, said they are taking the information with a pinch of salt until there is official communication from the UAE authorities.

One of them who spoke with our correspondent in confidence, said, “Even though the minister of Information announced it, I don’t want to believe it yet. Didn’t they announce that when President Tinubu came to the UAE? They said the visa ban had been lifted with immediate effect only for the UAE government to dismiss it? We don’t believe it yet until the UAE issues an official communication.”

Lifting visa ban, a welcome development – Travel agents

The president of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Mr Yinka Folami, while speaking with our correspondent, said even though there has been no official communication yet from the UAE government, there is certainty in the announcement by the federal government.

He said it was a welcome development as the full reopening of travel between Nigeria and the UAE would boost trade and economic activities between them and expand the revenue stream for the travel agents.

“It is in the air. Just like every average Nigerian who wants to continue to experience Dubai in terms of leisure and business, it is good. It is good for the Nigerian travelling public, it is good for the travel agencies’ community, it is good for the aviation sector that at least we have been able to restore a relationship.

“There was a crack and the crack has been healed. So we are happy that Emirates is coming back on board and we are happy as Nigerians that the visa ban that was placed on the whole of the country has been lifted.”

Folami said people have to wait for the official channels to be opened, adding, “But from what is in the air now, obviously there is some level of certainty in the information. I am sure it will be clear by tomorrow.”