The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has contradicted claims by the Nigerian government that it is to lift a year-long visa ban on Nigerian travellers.
According to CNN, an official from the Gulf who pleaded to be anonymous stated, “There are no changes on the Nigeria/UAE travel status so far.”
It should be recalled that earlier this week, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu met with UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi where both men “finalized a historic agreement,” according to a statement released by the Nigerian government.
The government said in the statement that the agreement paved the way for the lifting of the visa ban, including the immediate resumption of flights between both countries.
However, a statement by the UAE government later Monday said both leaders had during the meeting, “explored opportunities for further bilateral collaboration” with the hope of “reinforcing ties between the UAE and Nigeria,” but did not mention lifting the visa ban or flights restarting.
In a follow-up statement, Nigerian government spokesman Ngelale said officials from both countries needed more time to finalize agreement details, contradicting his earlier statement.
