The House of Representatives has said it will set up an Ad hoc committee to intervene in the diplomatic row between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirate (UAE).
The resolution was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion by Rep. Ndudi Elumelu (PDP-Delta) at plenary on Tuesday.
Moving the motion earlier, Elumelu said that Nigeria and UAE have had a positive diplomatic relation and in 2009, the UAE established its embassy in Nigeria.
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He recalled that in December 2020, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by both countries to engage each other bilaterally.
Elumelu recalled that in February 2021, the Federal Government stopped the UAE carrier, Emirate airline from subjecting Nigerians from additional COVID-19 test before departing Abuja and Lagos state.
The rep said as a result, the airline shut down its operations and after an interface with the Ministry of Aviation, the operations resumed but the airline continued to subject Nigerians to further screening.
“A development the federal government frowned at and thus, suspended from airline flying in Nigeria. The house is aware that hundreds of Nigerians living in the UAE are losing their jobs on the account of the authorities to renew their work permit.
“This offends the letters of bilateral agreements which both nations are signatories to. The house is worried that there are rumours that the refusal to renew work permit for over 1000 Nigerians in the UAE, is a calculated attempt to pressure the Nigerian Government into accepting their condition of service of the national airline which could have lost humongous revenue.
“If the Nigerian government does not urgently engage the UAE, thousands of Nigerians living and working in the UAE will lose their livelihood,’’ he said.
Contributing, the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Ahmed Wase (APC-Plateau) stressed the need for reorientation for Nigerians living abroad so they can to conduct themselves properly.
Rep. Toby Okechukwu (PDP-Enugu) said that the motion was critical because Nigerians are at the verge being disengaged from the jobs in UAE.
According to him, the earlier, the better because we do not have options here, we do not have alternatives for them here, whatever the issues are, let us resolve them.
The House thereafter resolved that members of the ad hoc committee be drawn from House Committees on Aviation, Foreign Affairs, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Interior, National Orientation, Diaspora and Treaties and Protocol. (NAN)
