UAE’s visa ban on Nigerians will enhance country dev’t – Aviation Minister

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has said the decision to impose visa ban on Nigerians by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will enhance the economic development of the country.

Sirika said there were no grounds for the UAE to threaten Nigeria with the visa ban despite Nigeria failing to repatriate $700 million trapped funds of foreign airlines.

According to Business Hallmark, the minister stated this during a meeting of the House of Representatives to discuss the $700 million trapped funds of foreign airlines operating in the country.

READ ALSO: FGN evacuates 542 stranded Nigerians from UAE

“If you disagree, you are supposed to come to us, and we sit down, negotiate and give you what we have in the hope that we finish paying. What I have a problem with are the threats,” Sirika said.

“Every country would threaten Nigeria that they would not fly to Nigeria again, that they would not give Nigerians visa, that they would not do operations, they would shut Lagos and Abuja. Please, countries have been shut completely, and they did well.”

The Nigerian Aviation Minister stressed that “there are examples” in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

“We are not afraid to be shut. It would make us do much better. It would make our schools and hospitals do better because necessity is the mother of invention.

“We would begin to go to our own hospitals and our schools. When you stop coming to Nigeria, it does not make any sense. We are not threatened,” he insisted.

“And I have a problem with that. I have been doing everything to ensure this is paid. But you can only give what you have.”

Recall that the UAE recently slammed a visa ban on Nigeria and 19 other African countries.

“This is to inform you that we will not be posting 30 days visa applications for these nationalities effective today, October 18, 2022,” the notice said.

Countries affected by the visa ban include Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, 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.

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