BREAKING: UAE Finally Lifted Bans on Nigerians? Presidency Reacts

• President Bola Tinubu’s administration has said that the report that the United Arab Emirate has lifted the travel ban on Nigerians is false
• According to the presidency, there was no official statement from either the Nigerian government or the UAE regarding the trending news and urged the general public to disregard it
• Recall that the UAE in 2022 banned 20 African countries, including Nigerian, from travelling to its country

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FCT, Abuja – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is yet to resume visa services for Nigerian citizens wishing to visit the country, the presidency said.

Several news outlets had reported that UAE on Monday, March 4, lifted the visa restriction on Nigerian travellers.

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But Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, refuted the viral document in an update on his “X” page on Tuesday, March 5.

In October 2022, the UAE implemented a ban on citizens from approximately 20 African nations from entering its borders.

List of African countries UAE banned

Among the affected countries are Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin, Ivory Coast, Congo, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Comoros, and the Dominican Republic.

The Emirati authorities issued a notice to trade partners and travel agents, instructing them to reject all applications.

Since the ban, the UAE and Nigeria have been embroiled in a diplomatic dispute concerning flight allocations and travel restrictions.

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Reacting on Tuesday, Onanuga said:

“UAE has not resumed visa issuance to Nigerians. The document in circulation is not authorized either by the Nigerian government or the UAE.”

See the tweet by Onanuga here:

US lists Nigerian states citizens should not visit

Legit.ng earlier reported that the United States has called on its citizens to avoid travelling to no less than 18 of the 36 states in Nigeria.

According to a statement from the Department of State, the reason for the call was the high level of terrorism and kidnapping in those states.

The 18 affected states cut across the north, the southeast and South-South, including Rivers state, with the exception of Port Harcourt.

Source: Legit.ng