Over 500 Nigerians have lost their jobs and are stranded four months after the United Arab Emirates stopped granting or renewing Direct Employment Visa for Nigerians in the Western Asian country.
It was gathered that while many of the affected persons had returned to Nigeria, hundreds of them are still in UAE in the hope that Abu Dhabi would reverse the decision.
The UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Fahad AI Taffaq, had said there was no official communication on the issuance of work permits for Nigerians living and working in his country.
Taffaq, who stated this when he received the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, at the Embassy in Abuja, in August, noted that he read about the ban in the social media, stressing that “UAE has no restrictions against any nationality.”
A Dubai-based activist, Oluwatosin Fadoju observed that the UAE was using the policy as a punishment against Nigeria, stressing that the FG was not doing enough to resolve the issue.
In her response, the spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Esther Sunsuwa, said, “they have no information yet, but are going to get in touch with the two offices in the UAE: Abu Dhabi; and Dubai; to verify the story and If true, adequate diplomatic steps will be taken to overcome the challenge.
