The Senate and House of Representatives have intervened in the diplomatic row between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), IgbereTV reports.
According to them, this is having a negative impact on Nigerians amid the work permit restriction and other challenges they face in the Arabian country.
The matter formed one of the major subjects of deliberation during Tuesday’s plenary at both chambers of the National Assembly in Abuja.
In its resolution, the Senate mandated its Committees on Foreign Affairs, Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, National Security, as well as Intelligence and Interior respectively, to interface with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Intelligence Agency (NIA) on best ways of resolving the dispute and report back to the lawmakers within two weeks.
The House of Representatives, on its part, set up an ad-hoc committee to liaise with relevant government agencies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the treatment of Nigerians by the UAE authorities.
Calling the attention of his colleagues to the matter in the red chamber, Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, said a memorandum of understanding was signed between Nigeria and the UAE in December 2020, to provide a platform for both countries to engage each other bilaterally.
He noted that in February 2021, the Federal Government stopped the UAE national carrier – Emirates Airline from subjecting Nigerian travellers to additional rapid antigen tests, as against its stipulated negative PCR test at the Lagos and Abuja airports before departure.
