A day after lifting visa ban on Nigerians the Federal Government has successfully repatriated 190 Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to a statement by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), signed by the Director General, Bashir Garga, the returnees were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at 5:57 am on Tuesday by a team of government officials led by NEMA.
The returnees have been profiled and documented by relevant agencies and were sensitized on the need to “behave with decorum and responsibility” upon their return to Nigeria.
“The federal government urges all Nigerians, wherever they may be, to act as exemplary ambassadors of their country, upholding the fundamental values of patriotism, rule of law, decency, and integrity,” the statement said.
This follows a similar repatriation in October 2022, when the Federal Government brought back 542 Nigerians from the UAE.
In related news, the Federal Government has announced that Nigerian passport holders will be able to obtain visas for travel to the UAE starting July 15, 2024.
This development was disclosed by the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, on Monday during a briefing with State House correspondents following the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
“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 stated.
“This agreement includes updated controls and conditions to facilitate obtaining a UAE visa. The resumption of visas will be effective from July 15, 2024.”
Nigerians wishing to learn more about the updated visa conditions can visit the UAE’s official website.
This announcement comes over two years after the UAE suspended visa issuance to Nigerians, following a prolonged diplomatic row with Africa’s most populous nation. It also comes about two months after UAE national carrier Emirates Airlines announced the resumption of flights to Nigeria, with daily Lagos-Dubai flights scheduled to resume from October 1, 2024.