In a historic meeting held in Abu Dhabi on Monday, Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan achieved a historic agreement. This agreement had an immediate and profound impact as it brought an end to the visa ban that had been imposed on Nigerian travellers.
Adding to this milestone, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines were swiftly granted permission to resume their flight schedules to and from Nigeria without any further delays.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, officially announced this significant development in a press statement.
What’s particularly noteworthy is that this restoration of flight operations and the collaborative spirit between the two nations did not involve any immediate financial obligations from the Nigerian government.
President Tinubu’s tireless efforts in the realm of economic development and his persuasive proposals to his UAE counterpart played a pivotal role in shaping a framework that will usher in several billions of US dollars in new investments across various sectors within the Nigerian economy, including defence and agriculture, courtesy of the UAE’s government investment arms, Ngelale said.
In addition, Tinubu successfully negotiated a joint foreign exchange liquidity programme between the two governments, which will be unveiled in greater detail in the coming weeks.