Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has lauded President Bola Tinubu for his instrumental role in resolving the diplomatic standoff between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The conflict stemmed from a series of events, including the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) initially approving three weekly flights from Nigeria to Sharjah Airport, with a single flight allotted to Air Peace.
In response to perceived mistreatment of Air Peace, the Nigerian government reduced the Emirates’ approved slots from 21 to just one, prompting the Dubai-based airline to suspend all flights to Nigeria. In October 2022, the UAE imposed a visa ban on Nigerians amid the diplomatic dispute.
However, a breakthrough was achieved on Monday when the UAE announced the lifting of the visa ban imposed on Nigerian travellers.
This p decision followed a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE, in Abu Dhabi.
Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential spokesperson, confirmed the resolution in a statement, stating that both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are instructed to “immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria without any further delay.”
Reacting to the development, Keyamo in a post on his X page said 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!”
