Nigeria, UAE ties: Akpabio says Tínubu manifested act of socio-political statecraft

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for breaking the ice in the once chilled diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirate (UAE).

Akpabio said it was an act of genius for the President to have seamlessly restored diplomatic relations between Nigeria and UAE, considering the economic loss incurred by both nation’s while the unfortunate disagreement lasted. Even more, Senator Akpabio said that the intervention of the President is about untying the visa process for Nigerians into the UAE.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh on Tuesday stated that with the intervention and the prospects of increased economic ties between the two nations, both nations were on track to reap bountifully from their ties.

The statement quoted the President of the Senate to have said that, “I have always had confidence in the ability of President Bola Tinubu to turn around the fortunes of our dear nation and this singular achievement in statecraft has once more rekindled my hope and that of millions of Nigerians in the Renewed Agenda of the All Progressives Congress (APC)- led government.

“I must confess that President Tinubu’s engineering of the process that is set to lift the visa ban on Nigerians by the government of UAE is an act of genius and of course, a magnu opus. It smacks of a clear cut economic and political policy capable of launching Nigeria into the comity of leading nations with a high rate of Ease of Doing Business”, he stated.

Akpabio said he was highly elated at the development explaining that it was a strategic move that will reinvent and strengthen consular and economic ties between Nigeria and the UAE.

The Senate President assured President Tinubu that the National Assembly under his leadership would continue to provide the required legal framework to enable the executive implement the good policies outlined in the Renewed Hope Agenda blueprint.

“As a responsible parliament, we will continue to collaborate with the executive through the enactment of effective legislations to make the job of Mr. President an easy one. We will continue to be sensitive to the needs of Nigerians by being proactive in the processing and passage of laws that will stand the test of time,” he declared.