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UAE Govt Officials Arrive Nigeria To Discuss Flight Resumption, Others

Published

1 year ago

Oct 2, 2023.

Eko Hot Blog reports that in continuation of the discussions that commenced in September between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a delegation from the UAE has arrived in Abuja on Sunday for talks with the Federal Government.

The five-member delegation is scheduled to engage with Nigerian officials in the coming days in an effort to reestablish diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the UAE.

These relations had deteriorated last year due to issues concerning unremitted flight funds held at Nigeria’s Central Bank and visa restrictions.

Reliable sources close to the situation have indicated that the UAE delegation consists of mid-level officials and does not include cabinet-level Ministers. Nevertheless, this signifies a positive step toward renewing diplomatic ties between Nigeria and the UAE, which had strained approximately a year ago.

The members of the delegation are Alshehhu Rashed, Teo Teck San, Almannaei Khalid, Alhosani Talal, and Janahi Asma.

It’s worth noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had a stopover in Abu Dhabi, UAE, a few weeks ago on his way back from the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India.

During this visit, high-level discussions on the mentioned issues took place with a group of Emirati officials, led by the President of the UAE, Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan.

Although the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, issued an optimistic statement on September 11, stating that “Both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay” as part of a historic agreement, further discussions appear to be ongoing to fully resolve the diplomatic and financial issues between the two countries.

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