According to the group, Nigerians suffered untold hardship as some companies sack their Nigerian employees over the inability to process and obtain work permit renewal.
A group, Union of Nigerians In UAE (UNUAE) has petitioned Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs over the refusal of the government of the United Arab Emirates to renew work permits for Nigerians in the country.
The petition with the title, “Refusal To Renew Or Issue Work Permits To Nigerians By The United Arab Emirates Government” was signed by a legal practitioner, Tope Temokun for the Tope Temokun chambers.
In the petition, the group decried the adverse effects of the passport renewal failure on Nigerians living in the country.
According to the group, Nigerians suffered untold hardship as some companies sack their Nigerian employees over the inability to process and obtain work permit renewal.
The group said this has caused Nigerians in the country to lose their means of livelihood noting that majority have no roof over their heads.
The petition reads: “We are Solicitors to the UNION OF NIGERIANS IN UAE (UNUAE), an association of Nigerian Nationals in the UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (hereinafter referred to as “Our Client”), and on whose behalf and express instructions we write and submit this PETITION.
“We were briefed by our client and we verily that Nigerians living in the UAE have been suffering an untold hardship for several months now owing to the refusal of the UAE Government to renew their work permits which have been going on for months now and which have led to many companies/organisations in UAE to sack in droves Nigerians working in UAE for the inability of the Nigerian employees to process and obtain work permit renewal.
“This has badly affected many Nigerians living in the UAE as majority now lay about without shelter either because they have been driven away from official apartments by their UAE employers or for the reason of inability to renew rent and many are now without means of livelihood in that foreign land.”
As of September, 2021, Nigerians In Diaspora Organisation stated that no fewer than 512 Nigerians lost their jobs in 90 days since the United Arab Emirates authorities suspended the issuance and renewal of work permits to Nigerians.
According to the NIDO in UAE, there are many Nigerians working in the country legitimately as it called on the Nigerian government to consider the plights of those who are now out of jobs and quicken the negotiations it has with the government of the UAE.