Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has praised President Bola Tinubu for resolving the diplomatic dispute between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Since 2021, there has been a diplomatic dispute between UAE and Nigeria over flight allocations and travel restrictions. As of December 2021, UAE has banned airlines from transporting Nigerian passengers into the Emirates.
The UAE had claimed that the ban was due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.
Prior to the imposition of the travel ban, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates had granted approval for three weekly flights from Nigeria to Sharjah Airport, with only Air Peace being granted a single flight.
In response to the UAE’s actions towards Air Peace, the Nigerian federal government subsequently reduced the number of slots granted to Emirates from 21 to just one.
The move made the Dubai-based airline suspend all its flights to Nigeria.
In October 2022, the UAE imposed a visa ban on Nigerians after a diplomatic row.
On Monday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) lifted the visa ban previously imposed on Nigerian travelers.
The decision was made after President Bola Tinubu met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.
Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential spokesperson, announced that Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines will immediately resume flight schedules to and from Nigeria.
In response to this development, Keyamo expressed his gratitude towards Tinubu, stating on his X page that Tinubu’s “Midas touch” has made his job easier.
“Special thanks to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT for personally leading our delegation to end this impasse with the UAE,” Keyamo said.
“All credit goes to him. His Midas touch during the discussion was crucial. He just made my job easier!”
