In Nigeria, new visa restrictions blamed on lack of ambassadors

As new travel restrictions target Nigeria, this time from the United Arab Emirates, some Nigerian diplomats are blaming the country's low presence of ambassadors abroad. In 2023, more than 109 of them were dismissed by President Bola Tinubu, without being replaced since.
Following the United States, it's the United Arab Emirates' turn to restrict visa requirements for Nigerian nationals. Those aged 18 to 45 will no longer be able to obtain tourist visas for the Gulf country unless accompanied by a travel companion. In addition, visa applicants aged 45 and over will be required to provide a bank statement showing a minimum balance of $10,000.
The country's press, like some Nigerian diplomats, attribute this new blow to the international movement of Nigerians to the absence of ambassadors in the country's various foreign missions, notes the website The Guardian Nigeria .
In September 2023, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu recalled 109 ambassadors from the Nigerian government's main diplomatic offices abroad. To date, none have been replaced.
The country's diplomats are unanimous in saying that this lack of international representation has weakened Nigeria politically and made its citizens more vulnerable to such unilateral restrictions.
As evidence of this fragility in the case of the United States, the validity period of visas for Nigerian citizens has been shortened to three months, with a single entry allowed. And the West African giant was not invited to the recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and the presidents of Senegal, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Gabon in Washington.
The prolonged absence of ambassadors risks further eroding Nigeria's influence on the international stage, alienating potential investors and diminishing the country's role as a regional leader, a diplomat told Guardian Nigeria .
Some Nigerian observers blame the delays in appointing ambassadors on underfunding at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which oversees these diplomatic missions. For 2025, the ministry has been allocated 353.77 billion naira (€200 million), an amount they consider insufficient.
Courrier International