IN recent years, there has not been a diplomatic row between two countries that generated debate like the one between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The diplomatic face-off, which started in 2021/2022 and dragged on for over two years, has, without doubt, strained the hitherto strong cooperation between the two countries as well as given room for suspicion and lack of confidence among the citizens of both countries.
It is no longer hidden that Nigerian citizens of different strata ranging from leisure travellers, business travellers, students, travel agents, the political class and many others, have contributed to the economic growth of the Arab country owing to the huge finances they often spend while in the UAE.
Today, there are many businesses and mansions in the UAE traced to many of the Nigerian political class who have been known to find the country as a subtle ground to invest their money.
This is different from other Nigerians who troop to the country for medical tourism, leisure, schooling and employments at their expenses.
Before things went haywire, there used to be huge trade transactions between Nigeria and the UAE until the Arab country pulled the carpet off the feet of Nigeria owing to the mistake of a very few.
While the genesis of the fallout between the two countries could be traced to December 13, 2021 when the UAE controversially slammed a travel ban on passengers from Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, citing a surge in the countries’ COVID-19 cases among passengers from the two African nations, an action which Nigeria in return reciprocated.
The height of the diplomatic row came when Emirates suspended flights into Nigeria on the excuse that its money, amounting to $85 million, was trapped in Nigeria.
Amidst the tension, the only Nigerian airline, Air Peace, reciprocating the air travel agreement on Nigerian side, was frustrated out of the UAE route.
To pay the UAE back in its own coins, the Federal Government equally banned the two UAE carriers, Emirates and Etihad, from Nigeria. The face-off continued until the election of President Bola Tinubu.
Not taking it for granted, Tinubu personally travelled to the UAE to open discussions with the authorities on how to let go of the crisis and renew the strained friendship. Despite the controversies that trailed the Tinunbu’s discussions with the UAE, the visit of Tinubu has finally paid off following the latest lift of the visa bans on Nigerians.
According to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, “I can tell you that the agreement has been reached and effective from today, July 15, Nigerian passport holders intending to travel to the UAE are able to do so. You are aware that Nigeria has been discussing with the United Arab Emirates the issue of visas for Nigerian passport holders going to the United Arab Emirates.”
Before the latest announcement, the UAE airlines, particularly Emirates, had earlier announced its readiness to resume flights to Nigeria, two years after it suspended flights between the two countries.
With the seeming resolution of the communication breakdown and hope of effective trade activities resuming between the countries, there is, however, the need for the Nigerian government to critically weigh the conditions the UAE attached to the visa issuance to Nigerians.
The need to study the conditions stems from the news making the rounds that to be able to apply for a UAE visa as a Nigerian, you need to possess, among others, a $10,000 bank balance and N640,000 fee requirements.
Though the UAE’s Department of Economy and Tourism has clarified that the website requesting these conditions was not affiliated with the UAE government, it is still pertinent for Nigeria, through its ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Aviation to dig deeper into this allegation.
It is pertinent to probe these conditions and others for the purpose of preventing a repeat of the embarrassment many Nigerians faced when they were caught up in the earlier imbroglio.
While carefully studying the visa conditions, the government officials must not trade with the principle of reciprocity that must come into play in line with the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) existing between the two countries which allows equal rights for airlines from both sides to enjoy free operations to each side.
Therefore, apart from resolving the ambiguity in the visa conditions, Nigeria must fight for the return of Air Peace airline to the Dubai route and even make the way for another Nigerian carrier to reciprocate the BASA agreement.
The lesson to be learnt in the two years the crisis lasted is that no country, no matter how rich or independent it may be, can exist without others. And besides, where some countries are strong, the weaker ones can leverage on mutual cooperation to stabilise and vice versa.
The UAE should therefore appreciate the genuine desire of Nigerians to engage in trade and other activities with them rather than capitalise on the misdemeanor of the few to blacklist the entire country.
Above all, there is the need for Nigeria to tidy up its end by ensuring that its citizens desiring to travel to the UAE or any other country should respect the laws of their host countries in other not to spoil the chances of the genuine Nigerian who are in the majority.
