After two years of back and forth between the Nigerian and the UAE governments over communication breakdown which negatively impacted the hitherto air transport tranquility that existed between them, the experience has now become history.
Despite the bad experiences, the dust is now settled though not without much ego and compromise from both sides, yet at the end of the fight, it has been the of no winner, no vanquished as business activities have since resumed between the countries.
It is no longer news that the UAE carrier, Emirates, which voluntarily exited the country in 2022 based on some unresolved diplomatic faceoff, has now returned to the most strategic market on the continent, the red carpet treatment rolled out for the return of the airline by the Nigerian government led by the resilient Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, should have sent a signal to the UAE government in particular that Nigeria, the country of over 200 million people, blessed with different human resources, understands when to blow hot or cold without necessarily losing its integrity.
Obviously, while it is no longer necessary to refer to the cause of the stalemate that led to the two years of brickbats between the two countries, nevertheless, the role played by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu can never be forgotten on one side, just as the ability of the Minister to handle the issue without derailing from the vision of the government which specifically highlighted the determination to restore relationships with major partners and countries around the world is commendable.
Though many Nigerians had wondered why the government so much celebrated the return of Emirates on the premise that such red carpets have never been extended to Air Peace by the UAE government when it commenced operations into Sharjah as against Dubai international airport.
It is however good to hear how the Emirates airlines officials acknowledged the importance of the Nigerian market hence pledged to contribute to the Nigerian aviation industry’s growth and offering travellers and businesses more choice and connectivity to key destinations across our network.
Again, it is equally cheering to hear from the minister how the Nigerian government puts in all efforts to get the faceoff resolved because of the huge businesses of Nigerians in the foreign land.
Of the utmost interest is the news about a new Air Service Agreement, Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) the minister signed on behalf of Nigeria with the UAE government..
According to the minister: “We are defining our relationship altogether again, making it more healthy, making it more open, and for the benefit especially of the Nigerian people. And, I decided to accompany them. I’m sure you heard from them, the horses mouth, not me. They say they are back to stay, they are not going anywhere again, because I think the suspension hurt both service, they felt it and we felt it.”
Although the details of the new agreement signed have not be fully made known, due to the background of the minister as a legal icon and in view of his smartness, it is believed that he must have signed the agreement having been convinced that Nigeria is reciprocally protected in the deal.
In other words, since respect is reciprocal, it is hoped that the UAE authorities will return the good gesture extended to Emirates airlines on resumption of flights back to Nigeria to Air Peace and other Nigerian carriers that will be designated to their territory.
In the spirit of equity and justice, Air Peace should be given the utmost cooperation to have a slot at the Dubai airport as against the Sharjah airport.
Equally, the UAE government should review its visa conditions to genuine Nigerian travellers for seamless movements between the two countries. The present visa conditions are not friendly and they may hindrance for Air Peace whose major passengers are Nigerians.
While welcoming Emirates back to Nigeria, all hands are on the deck to see if the UAE government will comply with the latest agreement that allows the Nigerian carriers designated to the country to operate into any choice airport to reciprocate the unlimited opportunities being enjoyed by the UAE carriers in Nigeria.
Kudos to the government of President Tinubu for not only resolving the UAE/Nigeria crisis, but getting commitment from them to equally treat Nigerians with respect. It is hoped that other countries will take note of the Emirates example.
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