President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with his guest, Salam Saeed Al-Shamsi, the United Arab Emirate, UAE, Ambassador to Nigeria, discussed the restoration of visa issuance and a mutually beneficial Bilateral Air Service Agreement, BASA, between Nigeria and UAE
The Minister of Aviation, Barrister Festus Keyamo, a Senior Advocate in the Nigerian Bar, SAN, has hit the runway for takeoff with his working visit as a guest to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mr. Nyesom Wike, and the Foreign Affairs Minister, Mallam Yusuf M. Tuggar, in their respective offices last Thursday.
Barrister Keyamo in his media statement while reporting his activities for the day said, “Earlier today, I met my counterparts in the FCT and Foreign Affairs Ministries to jointly resolve issues involving our Ministries”.
Keyamo in his verified Twitter handle, @fkeyamo, said he first visited the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Nyesom Wike, to work out the compensation modality for the indigenes whose land the government had acquired for the construction of the Abuja Airport Second Runway.
He reported that in addition to the compensation, the ways and means for a seamless relocation of the indigenous settlers were also discussed with Nyesom Wike.
The Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister noted that these issues will be settled before the government could exercise the moral and constitutional right to progress with the construction of the much-touted second runway for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, otherwise dubbed, Abuja Airport.
Keyamo’s direct report reads, “The first is to jointly work with the FCT Ministry to resolve the issue of the FCT indigenes who need to be compensated and relocated before the construction of the 2nd runway at the Abuja airport can commence in earnest”.
Also set in motion and in consonance with the pledge of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to the United Arab Emirates, UAE, Ambassador to Nigeria, Salam Saeed Al-Shamsi, who on Thursday, paid a courtesy visit to the President at the villa, the aviation minister commenced in earnest, right on the same day, to lay down the framework for the resumption of international flights and restoration of visa issuance between the two countries.
Keyamo reported thus, “The second is to work with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to resolve the issue of the resumption of Emirates Airline flights to Dubai/UAE and the related issue of resumption of issuance of Dubai visas to Nigerians”.
Recall that a frosty diplomatic relation in international air travel reared its ugly head between the two countries when the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, Emirate Airline, cashed in on the restrictions imposed on the international communities during the latter days of the COVID-19 pandemic to impose direct travel restrictions on Nigerians.
On the principle of reciprocity, the former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, in one of his commendable diplomatic moves, put his feet down and ensured what Emirates Airlines offered Nigeria and her citizens was equally meted out to the airline and the UAE.
By the speech of Mr. President to the UAE ambassador, it was evident the Nigeria government was desirous of a quick resolution to that protracted impasse hence, the aviation minister earnestly moved to lay the grundnorm for resolving the logjam.
As a hospitable host, the President assured his guest that he would personally intervene on the two issues – issuance of visas and restoration of air travel in accordance with the wholesome Bilateral Air Services Agreement, BASA- so that people-to-person socio-economic relations between the two countries could resume in earnest.
These much Tinubu expressed during the presentation of the Letter of Credence by the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salam Saeed Al-Shamsi at the State House.
UAE authorities about two years ago pronounced that all applications for visas by Nigerians were on hold until issues between the UAE government and the Nigerian government were resolved.
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