UAE Deports 400 Nigerians, Who Arrive at Abuja Airport as deportation sparks debate about Nigeria’s economic woes, brain drain, and the role of foreign policy in protecting citizens abroad

According to NTA, a group of 400 Nigerians who were living in the United Arab Emirates have been deported and have arrived back in their home country.

A multi-agency team, led by the Office of the National Security Adviser and including representatives from NCFRMI, NAPTIP, NEMA, and other stakeholders, provided a unified reception for the 400 deportees at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

“Four hundred Nigerians, including 90 females and 310 males, have been deported from the United Arab Emirates back to Nigeria.

“They were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by the office of the National Security Adviser in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and other stakeholders,” the news media said in a  Wednesday post on X.

The diplomatic tension between Nigeria and the UAE has been ongoing, with the UAE imposing a visa ban on Nigerians nearly two years ago, stemming from various diplomatic disputes.

One major issue involved Dubai’s Emirates Airline halting flights to Nigeria after the Central Bank of Nigeria was unable to remit an estimated $85 million in revenue to the UAE.

In June, after several rounds of negotiations with UAE authorities, the Nigerian government assured its citizens that the visa ban would soon be lifted. Around the same time, it was announced that Nigeria had paid 98 per cent of the $850 million owed, signalling progress in resolving the dispute.

The recent deportation of 400 Nigerians comes amid these lingering diplomatic tensions, even as both nations have reportedly reached an agreement to lift travel restrictions on Nigerians.

The United Arab Emirates Government in July 2024 announced it had finally lifted visa restrictions imposed on Nigerians with immediate effect.