Hospitality & Travel
UAE denies placing travel ban on Nigerians, gives reason for suspending visa issuance
The travel between Nigeria and UAE remained limited due to the closure of the Nigerian airspace.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Embassy in Nigeria has reacted to media reports about the purported travel restrictions imposed on Nigerians wishing to travel to the UAE.
In its response, the UAE Embassy in Abuja refuted the accuracy of the information which was contained in those reports, while also affirming the growing bilateral relations between the 2 friendly countries.
This disclosure was made in an official statement by the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Abuja on Thursday, August 6, 2020.
The embassy, in its statement, said the UAE government acknowledged that travel between Nigeria and the UAE has been limited due to the closure of the Nigerian airspace. Part of the statement said:
“In response to recent press and social media reports regarding purported travel restrictions between the UAE and Nigeria, and in an affirmation of the growing bilateral relations between the two friendly countries, the UAE Embassy in Abuja denies the accuracy of the information contained in these reports.
“At the onset of the COVlD-19 pandemic, the UAE took a number of precautionary measures to combat the virus’ spread, including the temporary suspension on issuing UAE visas for all nationalities as of March 17, 2020.
“After entering the recovery phase of the pandemic, the UAE eased some measures on July 7, permitting visitors from various countries to adhere to the necessary precautionary measures, including by showing negative PCR test results within 92 hours of travelling to the UAE. This includes those visiting from Nigeria.”
(READ MORE:FG travel restrictions on 13 countries: A little too late?)
The statement also noted that the UAE Embassy and the Nigerian Government will continue to work closely to obtain the necessary approvals to facilitate travel between both countries.
It can be recalled that there were media reports which were triggered by claims of a travel agency, saying that visa renewals for Nigerians in the UAE, approval for permanent residents, and tourist visas have been discontinued.
Some social media users, in reaction to the development, linked the new restrictions to some of the fraud cases involving some Nigerians in Dubai recently
Our Official Statement on the recent press and social media reports purporting travel restrictions between the #UAE and #Nigeria. pic.twitter.com/HKIYZya3ad
— UAE Embassy in Nigeria (@UAEEmbassyNGR) August 6, 2020
Business News
NRC confirms Nairametrics’ report, reveals how tickets are hoarded for second-hand buyers
It was disclosed that some people use an app to digitally alter the name printed on the e-tickets to reflect the second-hand buyers’ names.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has revealed how some Nigerians hoard e-tickets and sell them to second-hand buyers. This is coming few weeks after Nairametrics reported Nigerians’ lamentations over the hike in train fares due to the hoarding of e-tickets.
How does it work?
Nigerians allegedly game the new e-ticketing system as they buy multiple tickets (using multiple e-mails) and resell them to second-hand buyers. But the name of the original buyer will not tally with the second buyer, you ask?
Findings of the corporation revealed that this is taken care of by the original buyers, as they use an app to digitally alter the name printed on the e-tickets to reflect the second-hand buyers’ names.
This was revealed by the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Digital and New Media, Tolu Ogunlesi, via his Twitter handle on Friday.
He tweeted, “NRC says Nigerians trying to game the new e-ticketing system are using an app to digitally alter the name printed on the e-tickets. So they buy multiple tickets (using multiple emails) and then resell – altering ticket names to match the second-hand buyers.
“This tweet is not to suggest that the authorities are helpless or are not doing anything to stay ahead of criminals, instead to show just how desperate some of the people we inhabit this space with can be.”
NRC says Nigerians trying to game the new e-ticketing system are using an app to digitally alter the name printed on the e-tickets. So they buy multiple tickets (using multiple emails) and then resell – altering ticket names to match the second-hand buyers.
— tolu ogunlesi (@toluogunlesi) April 9, 2021
What you should know
On March 16, 2021, Nairametrics published a special report that revealed how Nigerians lamented over the recent hike in train fares, which many of them said was illegal.
Aside from the difficulties and over 100% hikes in the fares, most of the victims, who spoke with Nairametrics, urged the Federal Government through the Rotimi Amaechi led Ministry of Transportation to investigate the allegations and expose the activities of the desperate individuals involved in the menace.
A Software Engineer, Segun Mustapha, told Nairametrics that he was not surprised when he read about the activities of the black market operators on Twitter. Though, he admitted that he had not experienced such but called on the Rotimi Amaechi led Ministry of Transportation to ensure such activities are removed from the system.
He said, “It should not be a big deal for the government to do if it has the political will to do such. We used to experience similar situations in the aviation industry before now and that was easier because airlines are operated by private firms.
“It is a system failure because it is not the louts selling at exorbitant rates that were booking the tickets online but we should not allow such to linger. Government should ensure that tickets booked online are not reallocated at the station if it is determined to get rid of the black market operators.”
Read the Nairametrics report here.
Business News
FAAN warns of delays due to passenger traffic increase, urges travelers to arrive airport early
FAAN advised passengers to get to the airport early to avoid missing their flights due to delays.
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