By John Ikani
The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has been unsuccessful in his plea to lift the visa ban on Nigerian nationals imposed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since October 2022.
Despite his appeal to the UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayad Al Nahyan, last month, the travel ban remains in effect, with the exception of persons holding diplomatic passports.
During a telephone conversation between the two leaders in February, President Buhari offered a gesture of goodwill towards the Arab nation by instructing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to increase the amount of foreign exchange allocated to Emirates Airlines.
This move aimed to resolve the diplomatic row that had lasted for several months.
However, since the conversation took place almost a month ago, and with President Buhari’s tenure ending in June, the UAE appears uninterested in his offer and has not responded.
Instead, the Emirati government has continued to maintain travel restrictions on Nigerians and other Africans, whom it accuses of engaging in cultism and other illegal activities, causing unrest in its territory.
It is unclear whether President Buhari will continue to pursue the matter before his presidency ends or whether the responsibility will fall on the incoming President, Bola Tinubu.
Until then, the visa ban on Nigerian nationals remains in place.
