The Federal Government of Nigeria has called on Ethiopia to accelerate the signing of the long-pending Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Exchange of Sentenced Persons between the two countries, expressing frustration over continued delays despite earlier assurances.
Speaking during a meeting with the Ethiopian Ambassador to Nigeria, Legesse Geremew Haile, at Tafawa Balewa House in Abuja, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, conveyed Nigeria’s growing concerns over the welfare of its citizens incarcerated in Ethiopia.
Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu highlighted the suffering of Nigerian inmates in Ethiopian prisons, including lack of access to medical care. She revealed that a Nigerian had recently died in custody, warning that such tragedies must not be repeated.
“Our people don’t want to hear that another Nigerian inmate died in Ethiopian prison,” she said, underscoring the government’s commitment to citizen diplomacy.
The minister also expressed dismay over alleged mistreatment of Nigerians, including holders of official and diplomatic passports, in Addis Ababa. She questioned Ethiopia’s failure to sign the MoU, even after Nigeria revised the draft to incorporate Ethiopian feedback and following a mutual understanding reached on March 6, 2025.
In addition, Odumegwu-Ojukwu decried the slow pace of refunding monies seized from Nigerian travelers at Bole International Airport, despite a 2022 amnesty declared by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Of 25 Nigerians affected, only 15 cases had been approved for refunds, and just two individuals had actually received their money.
She cited the case of Mr. Francis Chukwuma Uzoh, whose $70,000 remains unreturned despite fulfilling all Ethiopian conditions. “Francis has become desolate, homeless, abandoned by family, hugely indebted and a shadow of his former self,” she lamented, urging urgent action to refund him “while he is still alive.”
On the matter of diplomatic travel, the minister criticized Ethiopia’s alleged unilateral withdrawal from the visa waiver agreement for holders of official and diplomatic passports—an arrangement tied to the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between the nations. She noted that the abrupt change had negatively affected Nigerian travelers, especially those using Addis Ababa as a transit hub via Ethiopian Airlines.
In response, Ambassador Haile clarified that the visa waiver agreement remained in place but was pending ratification by Ethiopia’s House of Representatives.
He added that visas were still being issued to Nigerians with official and diplomatic passports, stating that visa-on-arrival for regular passport holders had not been revoked.
“We are very close to Nigeria. The Ethiopian Government views the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a very strategic partner,” Haile said, while thanking Nigeria for approving seven additional Ethiopian Airlines flight slots on the Lagos route.
Despite tensions, Odumegwu-Ojukwu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening ties with Ethiopia, noting that preparations are underway for the 4th Session of the Nigeria-Ethiopia Joint Commission in Abuja.