Senate President Godswill Akpabio has commended President Bola Tinubu for his “ingenuity and proactiveness” in resolving the visa crisis with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), describing the action as a socio-political showpiece.

UAE had, on Monday, September 11, 2023, lifted the visa ban on Nigerian travellers to the country following an engagement between Tinubu and UAE President, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi.

Akpabio, in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity,  Eseme Eyiboh, said it was an act of genius for Tinubu to have seamlessly restored diplomatic relations between Nigeria and UAE, considering the economic loss incurred by both nations while the disagreement lasted.

The Senate President said with the peaceful resolution of the face-off, both nations were on track to reap bountifully from their ties.

Akpabio said: “I have always had confidence in the ability of President Bola Tinubu to turn around the fortunes of our dear nation and this singular achievement in statecraft has once more rekindled my hope and that of millions of Nigerians in the Renewed Agenda of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government.

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“I must confess that President Tinubu’s engineering of the process that is set to lift the visa ban on Nigerians by the government of UAE is an act of genius and of course, a magnu opus. It smacks of a clear cut economic and political policy capable of launching Nigeria into the comity of leading nations with a high rate of Ease of Doing Business.”

Akpabio said he was highly elated at the development.

He described the development as a strategic move that will reinvent and strengthen consular and economic ties between Nigeria and the UAE.

He assured Tinubu that the National Assembly under his leadership would continue to provide the required legal framework to enable the executive implement the good policies of the president.

The Senate President added: “As a responsible parliament, we will continue to collaborate with the executive through the enactment of effective legislations to make the job of Mr. President an easy one.

“We will continue to be sensitive to the needs of Nigerians by being proactive in the processing and passage of laws that will stand the test of time.”

The Star