THE Federal Government has repatriated 190 Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates.
A statement signed by the Director General, North Central Zone, Bashir Garga, of the National Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday, July 16, said the returnees arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja at 5:57 am on Tuesday and were received by a combined team of government officials led by NEMA.
The NEMA confirmed that the returnees had been profiled and documented by relevant agencies and advised to conduct themselves responsibly upon their return to Nigeria.
The federal government also advised its citizens residing in the UAE to conduct themselves as good ambassadors of the country and avoid actions that would pitch them against their hosts.
“The federal government urges all Nigerians, wherever they may be, to act as exemplary ambassadors of their country, upholding the fundamental values of patriotism, rule of law, decency and integrity,” the statement added.
This development came almost two years after the federal government repatriated 542 from the UAE.
In October 2022, Manzo Ezekiel, head of the press unit, NEMA, confirmed the development in a statement, noting that the returnees, consisting of 79 males, 460 females and three children, arrived in Nigeria on Sunday morning.
He said the returnees were examined by health administrators and profiled by relevant authorities, including the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) before they were given transport fares to return to their various destinations.
UAE lifts visa ban on Nigeria
Meanwhile, the federal government again on Monday, July 15, claimed that the government of the UAE had lifted visa restrictions placed on Nigerians.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this to journalists after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, headed by President Bola Tinubu.
According to Idris, an agreement has been reached between the Federal Government and the authorities in the UAE to lift travel restrictions on Nigerians, effective immediately.
The minister disclosed that bearers of Nigerian passports could enter the UAE without any problems.
In addition, Idris said that Nigerians interested in learning more about the most recent requirements for obtaining a UAE visa could go to documentverificationhub. ae
“You are aware that Nigeria has been discussing with the United Arab Emirates the issue of visas for Nigerian passport holders going to the United Arab Emirates.
“Today, an agreement has been reached on that, and effective from today 15th July, Nigerian passport holders are able to obtain visas to go to the United Arab Emirates.”
Two years before then, the UAE had banned Nigerians from entering the country due to several diplomatic issues.
In addition, Emirates Airlines of Dubai suspended its services to Nigeria due to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s inability to transfer an estimated $85 million the airline generated in Nigeria to the UAE.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M