President Bola Tinubu is set to engage in diplomatic talks with United Arab Emirates (UAE) leaders today at 5 pm UAE time, with the aim of resolving the ongoing suspension of Emirates Airline flights to Nigeria, visa bans, and other diplomatic issues, according to reliable sources.
Festus Keyamo, the Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Management, traveled to the Middle-East country on Sunday night to meet with President Tinubu, who had a stopover in the UAE after attending the G20 summit in India. Minister Festus Keyamo, SAN, confirmed the trip and stated that officials from both countries would convene at 5 pm today to discuss the matters at hand.
“I am in Abu Dhabi to join Mr. President in addressing the Dubai visa and Emirates flights to Nigeria issues. Both leaders are meeting at 5 pm today,” said the minister in a conversation with our correspondent.
The UAE imposed a visa ban on Nigerians in October 2022, shortly after Emirates Airlines suspended flights to Nigeria. This action was reportedly taken in response to Nigeria’s failure to repatriate billions of dollars in stranded funds. Nigerian carrier Air Peace also suspended its flights to Dubai as the UAE halted visa issuance to prospective travelers.
During a meeting with Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria at Aso Rock last month, President Tinubu directed that issues concerning Emirates Airline and the issuance of visas to Nigerians be resolved “immediately,” underscoring his willingness to personally intervene.
“We are a family in the UAE; we only live in separate rooms, but we are in the same house. We should look at the issues as a family problem and resolve them amicably. As you know, in every family, there are peculiarities. You can have an erring son or daughter, but we must work together. We need to agree on core aviation and immigration issues,” the President had emphasized.
On Sunday, Presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale announced Tinubu’s upcoming meeting with UAE authorities to address these critical matters.
Photo Source: The Whistler