The United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, clarified on Wednesday that UAE’s decision to cancel its visa-on-arrival policy was not targeted at Nigerians. He explained that UAE cancelled visa-on-arrival not just for Nigerians but all other foreign nationals. Al-Shamsi spoke on Wednesday when he received on courtesy visit the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
The details of the meeting were disclosed in a statement by NiDCOM’s spokesman, Gabriel Odu. The statement quoted Al-Shamsi as confirming that the UAE had lifted the visa ban on Nigerians as announced by the Federal Government on Monday. “He confirmed that the visa-on-arrival policy has been cancelled for all countries, but assured that the new procedures are designed to facilitate tourism and ensure travellers’ safe return.
“The ambassador expressed his commitment to providing the best possible services for Nigerians, with the support of the determined Nigerian government. He also acknowledged the UAE’s role in safely repatriating 96 Nigerians at no cost,” the statement said. Marking his first anniversary as the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Al-Shamsi shared his positive impressions of Nigeria, describing it as a beautiful country with warm-hearted people who share similar cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds with the UAE.
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