Nigeria: Press zooms in on UAE’s lifting of visa ban on Nigerians, others

APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The report that the United Arab Emirates, on Monday, lifted its months-long visa ban on Nigerians and the resumption of Etihad and Emirates Airlines flight operations in Nigeria dominates the headlines of Nigerian newspapers on Tuesday
The Punch reports that the United Arab Emirates, on Monday, lifted its months-long visa ban on Nigerians. Consequently, Etihad and Emirates Airlines will resume flight operations in Nigeria immediately.
“President Bola Tinubu and President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Monday in Abu Dhabi, have finalised a historic agreement, which has resulted in the immediate cessation of the visa ban placed on Nigerian travelers
“Furthermore, by this historic agreement, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay,” the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed in a statement he signed Monday.
The statement is titled ‘President Tinubu secures landmark deal with United Arab Emirates across sectors; visa ban on Nigerian travelers is lifted immediately.’
Monday’s resolution followed talks between Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu and his Emirati counterpart, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
It also comes nearly three weeks after the President expressed his willingness to personally intervene to end the nearly one-year ban.
“We are a family with the UAE; we only live in separate rooms but in the same house. We should look at the issues as a family problem and resolve it amicably. As you know, in every family, there are peculiarities.
“You can have an erring son or daughter, but we must work together. We need to agree on core aviation and immigration issues,” Tinubu told the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, at the State House on August 24, 2023.
It marked the first occasion in which Tinubu addressed the deadlock that led to the suspension of flights to Nigeria by Emirates, the UAE’s national carrier.
In October 2022, the UAE banned nationals of about 20 African countries from entering its borders.
The newspaper says that Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, and Niger Republic have launched “Operation Safe Domain II” to combat piracy and maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea.
Speaking at the inauguration on Monday, the Director of Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre Zone E, Commodore Aniedi Ibok, explained that the programme aimed at enhancing maritime security through regional collaboration for prosperity. The event is taking place from September 11 to 15 at Cotonou Port Naval Base.
The Yaoundé Code of Conduct in 2013 divided the Gulf of Guinea into two regions: one coordinated by the Regional Centre for Maritime Security in West Africa in the West and the other by the Regional Centre for Maritime Security in Central Africa in the East.
The ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy established maritime zones E, F, and G in 2014. Zone E, established earlier as a pilot project, led to the establishment of other zones.
Ibok said that the Joint Maritime Operations and Patrols aim to ensure permanent, joint, and coordinated control of Zone E for maritime safety and security. The operation is sponsored by ECOWAS and Member States of Zone E due to the high rate of illicit maritime activities in the Gulf of Guinea and West African waters, he explained further.
“These security challenges undermine the economic development of the zone while endangering the livelihood of local coastal communities and seafarers in general.
“Therefore, the operation will help defeat the adversary in whatever form they appear,” he said.
According to Ibok, the objectives of the patrols and joint operations are to pool resources of the state’s parties, make the maritime resources interoperable, and evaluate the Standard Operational Procedures.
The Guardian reports that the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) said it has concluded plans to partner with the Republic of Benin Customs Administration so as to enhance cross-border trade between the two West African nations.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Ag. Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi expressed their commitment to partner with their Republic of Benin counterparts with the aid of technology to achieve their set goals.
Adeniyi made this known on Monday, September 11 while declaring open a two-day interactive session between the Nigeria Customs Service and Benin Republic Customs in Abuja.
The meeting aims to strengthen further the already existing bilateral trade ties and cooperation between the two countries which will pave the way for a comprehensive mechanism to harmonize the import prohibition lists of both Nigeria and Benin Republic.
Speaking further, the Ag. CGC appreciated the Benin Customs and Embassy of the country for expressing interest in collaborating with the Nigerian Customs Service to enhance trade facilitation.
“The Customs administration in both countries have a very good idea and technical know-how on what it means with trade; thus, we are back with a renewed enthusiasm to foster our relationship and make impact on our trade facilitation roadmap,” Adeniyi said.
“It is our hope that the program will address the issues of trade and set a roadmap for the implementation of new strategies that will enhance the economy and revenue in Nigeria and Benin Republic.
“Thus, our organizations need to come up with ideas that will address the issues of transit and other progressive measures.”
Adeniyi added that with the increasing global security challenges, the need for both customs administrations to work in synergy cannot be over-emphasized.
The newspaper says that the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, yesterday, hinted at innovating tertiary education by giving universities the latitude to devise new sources of income.
Delivering an opening address at Nigeria’s Annual Education Conference (NAEC) in Abuja, the minister expressed the current administration’s displeasure towards ongoing attacks on education and recent gruesome murder of a female nursing student at the Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE).
Mamman said he had directed the vice chancellor to work with security agencies in fishing out the killers for possible prosecution.
The conference was convened for stakeholders to deliberate on enhancing entrepreneurial skills, vocational and technical education in Nigerian schools.
While applauding the conveners for their foresight, the minister observed that the gathering speaks to President Bola Tinubu’s vision of promoting technical and vocational education as a means of absorbing the millions of young school leavers, who complete primary and secondary education yearly, but could not secure admission into tertiary institutions.
His words: “My delight is underscored by the fact that this conference is taking place shortly after my swearing-in as the Federal Minister of Education, and at this early stage when my colleague, the Minister of State, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu and myself are developing a template to define a strategic roadmap for the education sector, which when unfolded, we all will have a responsibility to implement.
“As you all know, President Bola Tinubu has publicly declared his commitment to overhaul the education sector as a matter of priority.”
GIK/APA