IN a bid to rectify contentious matters, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has taken swift action to address the ongoing disagreements with Emirates Airline and the issuance of visas by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to a statement from the president’s spokesperson on Thursday.
Last year, the UAE halted the issuance of visas to Nigerian citizens after Emirates Airline suspended flights to the country due to challenges in repatriating funds from Nigeria, which stands as Africa’s largest economy.
Bola Tinubu’s office released a statement on Thursday, indicating that he engaged in discussions with Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, the UAE’s ambassador to Nigeria. The statement highlighted Tinubu’s readiness to personally intervene in the dispute to seek a resolution.
‘We must work together. We need to agree on core aviation and immigration issues,’ remarked Tinubu within the statement.
Echoing a positive sentiment, Al-Shamsi expressed in the same statement, ‘We are getting somewhere. These are small issues, all within a family, and they will be resolved.’
Emirates Airline disclosed in March that it has a significant amount of revenue held in Nigeria that remains inaccessible, and the process of repatriating these blocked funds has been gradual.
The situation extends beyond the Emirates’ predicament, as Nigeria has reportedly withheld at least $743 million in revenue from international airlines that have operated within the country. This information was shared by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in March.
Despite certain reforms, Nigeria, as Africa’s foremost oil producer, contends with shortages of foreign currency. This scarcity of dollars has posed challenges for foreign airlines that conducted transactions in Nigerian naira, making it cumbersome to transfer their earnings out of the nation.
President Tinubu’s involvement in resolving these complex disputes demonstrates the country’s commitment to rectifying the issues and fostering positive relations with both Emirates Airline and the United Arab Emirates.