MON MARCH 10 2025-theGBJournal| The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu met on Sunday with United Arab Emirates charismatic Ambassador, Salem Saeed Alshamsi.
According to Mrs. Ojukwu, both discussed several bilateral issues, especially, in line with both government’s commitment to citizen diplomacy, the issue regarding the difficulties Nigerians are currently experiencing in obtaining UAE visas, which the Ambassador has given his commitment to addressing, as well as the need to optimize the various MOUs signed by both countries to foster different economic partnerships and the promotion of trade and investment.
According to Bianca, Nigeria and the UAE ( United Arab Emirates) share very warm diplomatic relations and strategic partnerships exist between the two countries.
In 2015 alone, almost a million Nigerians visited the UAE, especially Dubai,; they spent between $100 million- $150 million on Visas alone, and over $1 billion, mostly on shopping sprees, exclusive of amounts spent on traders goods, payment of school fees, tourism and other related economic activities.
”It is therefore clear that our economic relations are predominantly one-sided, and there is need to explore areas of collaboration that will enhance our economic interests,” Bianca said.
Officially, 12,000 Nigerians live in the UAE, ranging from unskilled workers to professionals and students in various institutions across the country.
Mrs. Ojukwu noted that the UAE recently donated a large consignment of relief materials to support flood victims across the country and vaccines for chicken pox patients to support our health institutions.
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