UAE Visa: Stranded Nigerian Oil Worker Begs FG, Diaspora Commission For Rescue

A Nigerian professional based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mr. Michael Bassey, has appealed to the Federal Government over what he described as prolonged visa and work permit restrictions on Nigerians, saying the situation has left him and his family stranded, unemployed, and financially drained in Abu Dhabi.

Mr. Bassey, an indigene of Ikot Akpa Ekpuk Ndiya in Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, disclosed this in his “Save My Soul” message via social media handle on Saturday, appealing to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Rt. Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Member representing Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Ukpong Udo, to intervene.

Narrating his ordeal, Bassey explained that he has worked legally in the UAE’s oil and gas sector for several years before the sudden visa restrictions allegedly placed on Nigerians disrupted his career and livelihood.

According to him, “My journey began in July 2015 when I successfully secured employment with Zakum Development Company, an oil and gas firm in Abu Dhabi, after a competitive interview process.

“I was recruited through Al Nahiya Group, a reputable manpower company, and resumed duties on October 15, 2015, as a Supervisor in Logistics and Materials at an Artificial Island operated by Zakum. My visa, flight tickets and accommodation were fully sponsored by the company.

“In 2017, I returned to Nigeria following a global crash in oil prices that led to downsizing, which Zakum Development later merged with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

“In August 2018, I was later recalled to the same oilfield through another manpower firm, Speedy Assets International LLC, where I worked as a Materials Management Technician until 2020”.

He further maintained that in 2020, he was seconded through ADNOC Logistics and Services to Al Jaber Group, where he worked offshore as a Foreman in Logistics, Materials and Warehousing until 2022.

But trouble, he said, started in September 2022 after he received a promotion offer through DULSCO, another manpower company, to serve as a Supervisor of Logistics, Shipping and Warehouse at the same Central Artificial Island.

He stated that he cancelled his previous visa in line with the standard procedure, for new visa application when it was reportedly rejected multiple times.

“By October 2022, DULSCO informed me that my visa had been rejected more than three times. Later, I was told that Nigerians were no longer being issued work permits or residence visas,” he said, adding that, despite having no criminal record and years of verified service in the UAE, he has remained without a valid visa or salary since October 2022.

When pressed further on how he copes with the family, Bassey stated that, “All efforts to secure alternative employment have also failed due to the same visa restrictions, lamenting that over 36 months of unemployment, uncertainty have exhausted his life savings, leaving him unable to pay rent, provide food, education and medical care for his children.

“I have spent all my life savings here believing the situation would change. Today, I can no longer afford rent or feed my family. My children’s education has been disrupted, and we struggle to access medical care.”

Appealing directly to Nigerian authorities, Bassey urged NiDCOM and relevant government officials to intervene, either by resolving the visa impasse or assisting his family’s return to Nigeria.

“I am stranded in the UAE with my family and no means of survival due to visa restrictions against Nigerians. I am pleading and seeking urgent assistance from the government to get out of this situation.”

While begging governments to remember his family by urgently intervening to save their lives from total collapse, he also called on the Federal Government to address the broader issue of work permit restrictions affecting Nigerians in the UAE, describing the situation as a humanitarian crisis for affected families.