President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has urged for an expedient settlement to problems with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that have hampered flights and visa issuance.
Last year, the UAE halted issuing visas to Nigerians after Emirates Airlines canceled flights owing to currency constraints in the West African country.
Emirates stated at the time that it had failed to make progress despite “significant efforts to initiate dialogue with the relevant authorities” in order to find a feasible solution.
On Thursday, the president stated that the problem should be settled “immediately,” adding that he was willing to “personally” intercede.
“We should look at the issues as a family problem, and resolve it amicably… We must work together. We need to agree on core aviation and immigration issues,” he said.
He made the remarks while receiving the UAE ambassador, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, at the state house in Abuja.
Mr. Al-Shamsi stated that he was working on 24 agreements with the Nigerian government, adding that “these are minor issues, all within a family, and they will be resolved.”
