An historic agreement was reached between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi, which led to the immediate lifting of the visa requirement for visitors from Nigeria.

This was revealed in a statement on Monday by Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Advisor to the President on Media and Publicity.

The two governments' accord calls for Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines to resume their regular flight schedules into and out of Nigeria right once.

“As negotiated between the two heads of state, this immediate restoration of flight activity through these two airlines and between the two countries does not involve any immediate payment by the Nigerian government.

“In recognition of President Tinubu’s economic development diplomacy drive and the proposals today presented by President Tinubu to his counterpart, an agreed framework has been established, which will involve several billions of U.S. dollars worth of new investments into the Nigerian economy across multiple sectors, including defence, agriculture, and others, by the investment arms of the Government of the United Arab Emirates.

“Additionally, President Tinubu is pleased to have successfully negotiated a joint, new foreign exchange liquidity programme between the two governments, which will be announced in detail in the coming weeks.

“In conclusion, the President wishes to commend the UAE President, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his unalloyed friendship and his determined effort to join hands with him to fully normalise and reset the standard of relations between the two important countries to excellence,” the statement reads.