250 repatriated Nigerians returning from UAE-NiDCOM
Applicants rush to get entry permits Portals not yet open for applications - Citizens in Dubai, Abu Dhabi Issues with process being addressed–Govt official
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has said that 250 Nigerians who were repatriated from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would soon return to the country.
This statement came 24 hours after Monday’s announcement that the UAE had lifted ban on Nigerians wishing to travel to the Arab nation.
The revelation also came moments after many intending travellers rushed to the website of the UAE to book for visas.
Hon. Abike DabiriErewa, Chairman/ CEO of the NiDCOM, disclosed this during a visit to Ambassador Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, on Tuesday.
A statement signed by Gabriel Odu of the Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit of NiDCOM said the visit was to further strengthen areas of partnership and collaboration, which would be mutually beneficial to Nigeria and the UAE, following the removal of the visa ban by the Arab country on Nigeria.
Dabiri-Erewa stated that NiDCOM intends to engage and sensitise Nigerians in the UAE to be good ambassadors of their country of stay and country of origin, to excel in whatever they are doing and never to forget home.
She had said: “This initiative aims to foster better understanding and compliance with local regulations.”
She also disclosed that 190 Nigerians were repatriated to Nigeria, with an additional 250 expected to return soon.
Dabiri-Erewa said that the actions of individuals in a host country could greatly impact the overall image of their home country.
We’ve lifted ban against Nigeria – Amb.
While reiterating that the visa ban on Nigeria had been officially lifted, Amb. Al-Shamsi, however, said that the visa on arrival policy had been cancelled for all countries, but assured that the new procedures were designed to facilitate tourism and ensure travellers’ safe return.
The ambassador expressed his commitment to providing the best possible services to Nigerians.
The UAE had earlier in the week lifted the visa ban on Nigerians.
However, the statement did not indicate if the repatriation of Nigerians from the country was part of the agreement reached with the Nigerian government before lifting the visa ban.
Applicants rush to get visa
Daily Trust reports that many prospective applicants for the UAE visa have been rushing, after the lifting of the ban, to upload their relevant documents for documentation ahead of getting the visa.
While relevant authorities said the guidelines for the getting the visa have not been released by the UAE authorities, unconfirmed information indicated that a new initiative called Document Verification Number (DVN), which goes for N640,000, has been introduced.
Some applicants said they applied through a web link they saw on different platforms, including the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the Minister of Information and Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
The minister had, on Monday, while announcing the lifting of the visa ban on Nigerian passport holders, wrote: “Nigerians wishing to learn more about the updated visa conditions from the UAE can visit documentverificationhub. ae for any additional information”.
Contacted yesterday to react to the applicants’ allegations that the link provided by the minister might contain some errors as they tried but could not get the required verification, his spokesman, Rabiu Ibrahim, in a text message to one of our correspondents, said: “The agreement between Nigeria and the UAE to ease visa restrictions and resume travel to the UAE for Nigerian passport holders is still valid.
“The issues with the process are being addressed, and the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has explained the need to understand the procedures”, Mr. Ibrahim said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has no comment on the matter.
“We don’t have anything to do with the modalities of obtaining visa,” said an official who asked not to be named.
When the federal government announced the lifting of the ban on Monday, many excited Nigerians commended the development.
Hours later, information filtered in that the UAE authorities had introduced a N640,000 DVN fees apart from the main visa fees.
It said the visa applicant is also expected to have a minimum balance of $10,000 in his/her account, according to a website which sources said was fake.
Checks on the various visa platforms by our correspondent showed that the purported website was not UAE-recognised.
Also, a visa application link on the website of Emirates, the UAE flag carrier, directed our correspondent to another website different from the DVN page, while it was indicated that the portal was yet to be open for Nigerian visa applicants.
Visa applicant, travel agent express frustrations
Our correspondent learnt that some prospective visa applicants have paid N640,000 through a cloned website immediately after the announcement was made.
One of the applicants, who spoke to our correspondent yesterday, but said he did not want his name mentioned, said that he paid the N640,000 immediately he got the link only to realise that the website was fake.
“I had to quickly pay because I have been anticipating the lifting of the visa ban. I was on the verge of applying for the visa before the ban was imposed and when I learnt of the conditions, I was alarmed. But I said it is better late than never,” the applicant said.
A travel agent also told Daily Trust in confidence that some people had paid the N640, 000 without waiting for an official confirmation from the UAE authorities.
Aminu Abdullahi, a trader in Kano, also said he transferred N700,000 to his travel agent for onward payment for the verification.
“I was very lucky the agent hasn’t paid the money before it was discovered that the website was fake…It would have been a disaster for me,” he said.
Salamatu Yunusa, who used to travel to Dubai for business purposes from Kano, said she paid N400,000 to her travel agent with a promise to pay the rest when the process is completed, only to be told that everything around the verification was not authentic.
“I am even getting scared now because it seems some people are just not patriotic. I know that the embarrassment caused by this development is enormous. Some fraudsters are damaging the image of Nigeria,” she said.
‘Visa application modalities not yet released’
The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), UAE chapter, said that the modalities for visa application had not been released, warning prospective applicants to be wary of the fake website.
“Don’t expect the visa portals to open like that. There is a modality and that is why the Minister met with the UAE government.
“Let’s be patient. We are already at the end of the river. They have already announced that Emirates would start operations. So, on the visa, the UAE Embassy in Nigeria and the Nigerian Embassy in UAE have not spoken on this. So, why are we in a hurry?
“Regarding the website, the website is a domain of a private entity. People that would verify applicants’ identities are supposed to be government agents and not a private entity,” said a representative of the NIDO-UAE in a post on its X handle.
Citizen Tosin, a leader of Nigerians in the UAE, also confirmed that the verification hub was a cloned website.
A former President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agency (NANTA), Mrs Susan Akporiaye, in a chat with our correspondent yesterday, wondered why Nigerians would not exercise patience before making a payment on the website.
She said the federal government would not have accepted such conditions from the UAE for Nigerians to get visas.
“We have survived two years and we will continue to survive. So we need to get our acts right. I am not excited about it.”
‘Visa ban lift details being fine-tuned’
A source told our correspondent that the details of the agreement on the lifting of the visa ban were still being finetuned.
“This was what the Minister of Aviation, Mr. Festus Keyamo, said the day the announcement was made that he made a visit to the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria to fine-tune the details of the agreement. So Nigerians should be patient about the whole UAE visa issue,” the source said, pleading not to be named.