The Director General of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Prof Ayo Omotayo, has said the visa ban imposed on Nigerians by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is ridiculous.
Speaking at the leadership and management retreat of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment held at NIPSS in Kuru Plateau State, the don said Nigeria has what it takes to do better than UAE in terms of employment generation and provision of other economic opportunities.
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He said Nigeria should not allow itself to be boxed into a corner by UAE for no reason.
Omotayo, who said he has been to the UAE several times, added that there was nothing they can boast about that Nigeria does not have.
He said the UAE was developed by foreigners and is still being dominated by foreigners who brought all the wherewithal into the country to develop it.
“I have been to the UAE and its capital Dubai several times, and I don’t see any big deal going to Dubai. As Nigerians that have self pride, we should ban ourselves from going to Dubai. Is it the hotel or sea that is not in anywhere in the world? I don’t thing we should be at the mouth of any country.
“We have what it takes to be better than Dubai. The Emirates did not make the place themselves, it is a combination of people from all walks life that made Dubai. We should give ourselves self-ban, we have nothing to loose,” he said.
He urged Nigerians, especially the elites to change their approaches in doing things and also perception towards issues affecting the country and the things would be better for it.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mrs Daju Kachollom Shangti decried the gap in knowledge and awareness about administrative procedures, ongoing civil service reforms, strategic thinking and government policies, especially on the need to have relevant data to carry out the mandate to achieve National Development Plan 2021-2025.
She said achieving the ministry’s mandate will require complementary efforts and teamwork by everyone, adding that without cooperation it would be difficult to reposition the federal ministry of labour and employment to its imposing height.
