"Group condemns Buhari’s silence on employment plights of Nigerians in UAE", 14 Jan 2022

The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation United Arab Emirates (NIDO-UAE) has slammed the Nigerian government of Muhammadu Buhari for failing to act in the interest of citizens who have been victims of national origin-based discrimination in their country of residence for over six months.

In a statement made available to The ICIR on Friday, Director of the group Fernando Judel Chikwado said that out of more than 200 nationalities living and working in the UAE, only Nigerian citizens were treated differently...

The UAE has unofficially restricted work permits for Nigerians since July 2021, making impossible for Nigerians with expired work permits to renew them. Consequently, thousands of jobs have been lost, leaving many stranded and frustrated.

Last December, Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige announced that the country would be signing employment agreements with Qatar and the UAE to protect 7000 Nigerian citizens working in these countries.

“We have an agreement that will specify what kind of work they do, protection for them and protection for even their employers over there,” said Ngige.

“Whether work permit issuance/renewal is officially communicated or not, it is the duty of the Federal Government of Nigeria to amicably engage UAE Government to accept more labours from Nigeria irrespective of professions,” the statement by NIDO-UAE concluded.