The UAE visa debacle and debate
Nigeria ran into a pickle again concerning UAE visas as the Emiratis denied parts of the announcement by Nigerian government officials.
The situation still needs to be clarified on Thursday, 18 July morning. These are the known:
1. UAE has lifted the ban on the issuance of visas to Nigerians.
2. UAE did not exempt Nigeria from the customary visa application process.
3. UAE’s Department of Economy and Tourism denied affiliation with a website the federal government identified as the portal through which Nigerians could apply for UAE visas.
4. According to the UAE’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFAD), “You will need a personal photo and a copy of your passport, which must have a validity of at least six months. A tourist visa costs about 200-300 dirhams (N60000-N90000). You will also need a travel ticket and valid medical insurance within the UAE.”
5. The Federal Government had not responded to the development by midday on Thursday 18 July.
Earlier, news of lifting a ban on issuing United Arab Emirates visas to Nigerians sparked intense social media debates. Nigerians took offence and exception to the conditions attached to it.
It generated intense debates online.
Leo Sobechi posted or forwarded:
Facts about the UAE Visa for Nigerian passport holders.
1. You need proof of $10000 in your account for six months.
2. Proof of round trip and paid.
3. Proof of hotel accommodation that is paid. (booking alone doesn’t suffice).
4. Obtain a Document Verification Number (DVN) at the cost of N640, 000z, and this is valid for just 14 days, after which it expires. Also, note that this fee is non-refundable.
This is an outright insult.
Sir Fred Chukwuelobe countered:
It is not an insult because our boys went there and started engaging in armed robbery. Our ladies went there and started prostitution. Others went there for holidays and genuine businesses. But when one finger picks oil, it soils the rest. Many of us misbehave, and we expect to be treated fairly. Do they do that to everybody? Those who wish to go should respect the laws of their hosts or stay here and continue to pollute and live in our deplorable state. The UAE leaders made their country a must-see. They have every right to protect it from scavengers and indiscipline.
1. Who or what is responsible for the increased UAE visa fees?
Social media analysts reject the increment in UAE visa fees. Investigative journalist David Hundeyin pushed the suspicion further by asserting a conspiracy between Nigerian officials and an unnamed group to bilk Nigerian citizens. Hundeyin raised queries about the website the FG asked citizens to visit for verification and payment.
Hundeyin posted on X: UAE government websites all end with the “. gov. ae” URL. This website is “.ae”, not an official UAE government website. Furthermore, according to @scamadviser, the actual owner of the website is hiding their identity by using a paid proxy.
The proxy owner being used to hide the true owner is a Canadian named Jean Geoffrion. In other words, he is the Oyibo answer to Alpha Beta Consulting. You can even read Jean describing how his work helps governments “raise sustainable revenues.”
This company also appears only to do business in Africa, and much of its management team is African. In summary, we have a website with a hidden owner contracting an IT middleman who specialises in “raising sustainable revenue” through high-traffic regulatory activities (such as visa applications) to operate the website on their behalf. This website is not affiliated with the UAE government, and the middleman operating it appears to be active only in African jurisdictions. My educated guess is that there is a private company behind all of this – possibly linked to someone in Aso Rock or the Foreign Ministry – which has quietly positioned itself to rip Nigerians off. I’d go as far as to guess why the visa ban dragged on for so long – and why there were multiple false dawns – is that this private entity was haggling over details like revenue split.”
2. Anambra’s teacher employment issues
Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo is often the target of brutal criticism on social media. The trending narrative is about the ANSG employment of nearly 8000 teachers. One of those employed raised issues with the terms of his engagement. Unfortunately, she did not append her name. She claimed to have left her job with Lagos State based on the certainty of an offer from her home state. Curiously, she would leave the certainty of a job, hoping for an offer. Anyway.
The post claimed
• “My dear State offered a temporary employment with 2 (Two) years’ probation period, no possibility of transfer for 10 (Ten) years and a meagre Salary of N33,122.65 (Thirty-Three Thousand, One Hundred and Twenty-Two Naira, Sixty-Five Kobo), Tax excluded. (Annual salary of N397,471.00).”
• The worst is that I and others who received the offer letter were told to backdate our Acceptance letter to bear a date in October 2023, which raises the suspicion that since October 2023, someone in the government has been collecting salaries of all those recently offered employment in July 2024 and wants to use our Acceptance letters to cover up. What is the reason for the backdate? Something is fishy and should be investigated.”
Mrs Ann Okafor, a PRO, signed a rebuttal for the Post Primary Schools Service Commission, PPSSC, AWKA.
“The Post Primary Schools Service Commission wants to make it clear that:
The advert for the Recruitment of Teachers by the Anambra State Post Primary Schools Service Commission was posted online on 26 September 2023, and applications from interested candidates lasted until 14 October 2023. Candidates applied online.
At the issuance of the appointment papers, candidates were asked to backdate their handwritten application for the teaching job to 3rd October 2023 and not the Acceptance letter. This is to tally with the month they applied online.
The N397.471.80 salary captured in the appointment letter is the basic amount; other allowances are yet to be added, to sum up the total amount, as the system demands.
Political opponents are inducing the writer to paint the government of Anambra State black by claiming that someone in government has collected the salaries of candidates who have yet to resume work since October. This is laughable.
The assumption date for the newly recruited teachers is 1 September 2024 (new academic session), and their salaries will be paid effective 1 September 2024.”
Someone noted on a platform, “The last time I checked, an employment letter usually captures total emolument. Maybe I am old school.”
Watch out for the teacher emolument drama in Anambra State!
3. Kenya continues to roil over Ruto
The street protests in Kenya continued for a fourth week. On Tuesday, security forces killed a demonstrator, further worsening the situation.
Kenyan activists demand President Ruto’s resignation. Their anger started with the 2024 Finance Bill, which they perceived as insensitive to awarding government officials more benefits. The Finance Bill sought to raise taxes and prices of several items.
Last week, Ruto sacked about eighty per cent of his cabinet, but this did not assuage the anger. They insisted on the demand. In turn, government officials began abducting, imprisoning and deploying state power against protesters.
This week, President Ruto accused the US agency Ford Foundation of sponsoring the protests. Ford Foundation denied it. Ford Foundation stated: “While we acknowledge the right of Kenyans to advocate for a just and equitable country peacefully, we repudiate any actions or speech that are hateful or advocate violence against any institution, individual, or community. We did not fund or sponsor the recent protests against the finance bill and have a strictly non-partisan policy for our grant-making.
“As we noted during the Kenyan state visit to the United States this past May, we are committed to building on the legacy of the Ford Foundation’s more than 60 years in the region so that Kenyans can unlock opportunities that extend to all.”
