UAE visa-on-arrival cancellation not targeted at Nigerians – Envoy
The United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, clarified on Wednesday that UAE’s decision to cancel its visa-on-arrival policy was not targeted at Nigerians.
He explained that UAE cancelled visa-on-arrival not just for Nigerians but all other foreign nationals.
Al-Shamsi spoke on Wednesday when he received on courtesy visit the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
The details of the meeting were disclosed in a statement by NiDCOM’s spokesman, Gabriel Odu.
The statement quoted Al-Shamsi as confirming that the UAE had lifted the visa ban on Nigerians as announced by the Federal Government on Monday.
“He confirmed that the visa-on-arrival policy has been cancelled for all countries, but assured that the new procedures are designed to facilitate tourism and ensure travellers’ safe return.
“The ambassador expressed his commitment to providing the best possible services for Nigerians, with the support of the determined Nigerian government. He also acknowledged the UAE’s role in safely repatriating 96 Nigerians at no cost,” the statement said.
Marking his first anniversary as the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Al-Shamsi shared his positive impressions of Nigeria, describing it as a beautiful country with warm-hearted people who share similar cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds with the UAE.
He expressed his eagerness to continue collaborating with NiDCOM to strengthen ties between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the NiDCOM Chairman, Dabiri-Erewa, disclosed that an additional 250 Nigerians would be repatriated from the United Arab Emirates soon.
“Dabiri-Erewa stated that NiDCOM intends to engage and sensitise Nigerians in the UAE to be good ambassadors of their country of stay and country of origin, to excel in whatever they are doing and never to forget home. She added this initiative aims to foster better understanding and compliance with local regulations.
“She also disclosed that 190 Nigerians were repatriated to Nigeria, with an additional 250 expected to return soon. She noted that the actions of individuals in a host country could greatly impact the overall image of their home country. She also noted the role of Western media imperialism in perpetuating negative stereotypes about Nigerians,” the statement added.
The Federal Government had on Tuesday repatriated a total of 190 Nigerians from the UAE.
The returnees were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 05:57 pm by a combined team of government officials led by the National Emergency Management Agency.
In October 2023, the FG repatriated a total of 542 Nigerians from the UAE.
Speaking during a visit to the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi in Abuja, Dabiri-Erewa stated that NiDCOM intended to engage and sensitise Nigerians in the UAE to be good ambassadors of UAE and Nigeria.
