Dubai clamps down on Nigerian visitors barring anyone under the age of 30 from entry

NIGERIANS will no longer be able to travel to Dubai in the numbers that they have in the past after the authorities there introduced new stringent immigration rules which among other things bar all Nigerian visitors under 30 unless they are part of a family unit on holiday.

Now a centre for regional and international trade, Dubai is a major tourist attraction and Nigerians flock there in their millions annually on holiday. A lot of Nigeria's wealthy own homes in Dubai, her celebrities regularly organise parties there and of late, there has been an increase in the number of Nigerians going there to work.

In a bit to clamp down on the influx, the Dubai authorities have taken drastic action, including detaining Nigerians who arrive in the country and seizing their passports. According to Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chair of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (Nidcom), even those with valid visas are being turned back.

Hon Dabiri-Erewa said: "What the Dubai authorities have done is this, they have made the visa processes more stringent. If you are below 30, there is no visa for you as they make it so stringent that you won’t be able to fulfil it, no matter who you are.

"Secondly, if you are going to Dubai now, you have to provide a six-month bank statement, you have your ticket and you must show proof of accommodation where you are going to stay. If you lie about where you are going to stay, they are going to know, so they are going to turn you back.”