By Brian Okoth
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has lifted a long-standing visa ban on Nigerian nationals, the Nigerian government said in a statement on Monday.
Nigeria's Information Minister Mohammed Idris told journalists in the capital Abuja that UAE and Nigeria had reached a deal for the visa ban on Nigerians to be lifted "with immediate effect."
"Following successful talks and extensive, mutually beneficial negotiations between the Government of the United Arab Emirates and the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, an agreement was reached allowing for the resumption of travel to the UAE for Nigerian passport holders," Idris said in a statement released later on Monday.
"This agreement includes updated controls and conditions to facilitate obtaining a UAE visa. The resumption of visas will be effective from July 15, 2024."
Ban imposed in 2022
The UAE had imposed a visa ban on Nigerian passport holders since October 2022. The UAE had also imposed visa restrictions on at least 16 other African nations, including Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire.
The announcement ends a 21-month standoff between the UAE and Nigeria.
While announcing the ban, the UAE said improper conduct and attempts by citizens of Nigeria to circumvent visa rules led to the restriction. Nigerians in the UAE also have to contend with work permit bans.
The visa dispute escalated when Nigeria significantly reduced the number of UAE's national carrier Emirates from 21 trips a week to just one weekly flight to Nigeria.
Retaliation
The move was supposedly in retaliation to UAE's refusal to allow Nigerian airline Air Peace operate three weekly flights to Dubai. UAE had only approved one weekly flight.
Around that time, Emirates had suspended flights to Nigeria, citing the Nigerian government's failure to pay the airline $85 million owed to it.
Nigeria and the UAE have been holding high-level talks, including between President Bola Tinubu and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to resolve the standoff.
The lifting of the ban this week comes two months after Emirates announced it would resume Dubai-Lagos daily flights in October.
Abrupt stop
In September 2023, the UAE government came out to deny a statement by the Nigerian government that the visa ban on Nigerian citizens had been lifted.
For Nigerians, obtaining a 30-day tourist visa was relatively easy until the UAE abruptly stopped issuing the visas to them.
Dubai is a popular destination for thousands of Nigerian tourists. Many Nigerian real-estate developers have also invested in the UAE.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigerians ranked among Dubai's largest foreign real-estate investors.
Fastest-growing
Their investment in the commercial and tourist city was valued at nearly $2 billion, according to local media reports.
Before the ban, Emirates operated two daily flights from Lagos to Dubai, and one daily flight from Abuja to Dubai.
According to the Dubai Tourism Brand Centre, Nigeria was ranked as the fastest-growing source market for African travellers, accounting for 246,000 visitors in 2019.
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