A Nigerian oil and gas professional based in the United Arab Emirates, Michael Bassey, has appealed to the Federal Government and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission over what he described as prolonged visa and work permit restrictions against Nigerians.
He noted that the development has left him and his family stranded, unemployed and financially drained in Abu Dhabi.
Bassey, an indigene of Ikot Akpa Ekpuk Ndiya in Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, made the appeal in a “Save My Soul” message shared on social media on Saturday.
In the message, he called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; the Chairman of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa; the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; and the lawmaker representing Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency, Emmanuel Ukpong Udo, to urgently intervene.
The oil worker explained that he had worked legally in the UAE’s oil and gas sector for several years before the sudden visa restrictions imposed 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.”
He said he returned to Nigeria in 2017 following a global crash in oil prices that led to downsizing, adding that Zakum Development later merged with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
Bassey noted that he was recalled to the same oilfield in August 2018 through another manpower firm, Speedy Assets International LLC, where he worked as a Materials Management Technician until 2020.
He further stated 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.
Trouble, he said, began in September 2022 after he received a promotion offer through DULSCO, another manpower company, to work as a Supervisor of Logistics, Shipping and Warehouse at the same Central Artificial Island.
Bassey explained that he cancelled his existing visa in line with standard procedures for a new application, but the new visa was reportedly rejected repeatedly.
“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.
He added that despite having no criminal record and years of verifiable service in the UAE, he has remained without a valid visa or salary since October 2022.
Speaking on the impact on his family, Bassey said prolonged unemployment and uncertainty had exhausted his savings and left him unable to meet basic needs.
“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.”
He appealed to NiDCOM and other relevant authorities to either help resolve the visa impasse or facilitate 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.”
Bassey also urged 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 many affected families.
