Obviously, by now the Federal Government of Nigeria should have been able to realise that it’s hitherto lackadaisical attitude towards joining other countries in playing aero politics has been one of its greatest mistakes.
The government of Nigeria had prior to now taken the back seat while many countries across the world had been deeply involved in the business of aero politics for different reasons ranging from over protectionism of their businesses or for supremacy among other reasons.
Therefore, it is no longer news to hear how many countries have continued to engage in the aero politics for different reasons known to them.
Without doubt, Nigeria has been a victim of aero politics in the hands of some countries that had and still using the policy to humiliate and embarrass it at any slightest provocation without any iota of respect to the existing bilateral agreements between Nigeria and the countries in question.
While it is normal to engage in aero politics inasmuch as such it’s based on fairness and without contradicting the air travel agreement existing between the two partners, deliberate attempt to bypass the agreement to achieve a personal aim is questionable.
This has played out in the face off existing between the United Arab Emirates authorities and Nigeria following the decision of the Arab authorities to single out Nigerian travellers for ban under the guise of the devastating pandemic confronting the globe.
It is no longer news how the UAE earlier in January through its Dubai Airport Operations Control Center announced that all passengers departing from Nigeria to Dubai were required to obtain a negative COVID-19 certificate while Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) should be conducted within 72 hours of the date of departure.
According to the new UAE policy, all Nigerian passengers were required to conduct a rapid COVID-19 test and obtain a negative result within four hours of their departure time even while the Dubai government insisted that passengers from Nigeria must travel directly from Nigeria to Dubai while adding that “No passengers may enter Dubai from any other country /station if they have visited or transited via Nigeria in the last 14 days”.
In view of the intrigues so far played out by the UAE with an earlier announcement of the lifting of the ban, to the 360 degree u-turn made to re-impose the ban and many other actions of the Arab nation, the development has been described as uncalled for.
The UAE action is uncalled for as many other countries with high record of the COVID -19 pandemic with evidences of questionable COVID-19 tests are allowed to fly into Dubai.
Despite the efforts so far made by the Nigerian government to curb the increase of the virus even when many countries around the world are recording high casualty, the UAE government has remained on his ‘high horse’ as it continues to toy with Nigeria.
As if determined to embarrass Nigeria despite the hands of fellowship that has been extended to airlines from the UAE and the huge traffic made up of Nigerians travelling there for business and leisure, the government of the Arab nation has preferred not to unlift the ban and continues to court new friendships.
This hostile attitude of the UAE government towards Nigeria has again been confirmed with the recent agreement it signed with the Ghanaian government for approval of visa free deal to Ghanaians and UAE passport holders.
Though the Ghanaian government through its embassy in Abu Dhabi has since said the agreement had only been ratified by the parliament of Ghana but yet to be complemented, for the fact that the embassy promised to communicate any changes to its present entry visa regime between Ghana and the UAE when the agreement comes into force has indicated that there was such an arrangement ongoing between the two countries.
While no one is begrudging Ghana or other countries for this type of partnership, the intrigues and the double standard nature engaged by the UAE government as seen in its hostility towards a country like Nigeria with the huge economic benefits coming from the heavy passengers’ traffic between Nigeria and the UAE is absurd.
The UAE may think signing such agreement with Ghana will spite Nigeria, but in actual sense, the development will only further expose the hostility of the UAE government towards Nigeria for daring to challenge its anti COVID-19 policy targeted at Nigerian travelers.
While the UAE continues to remain on his high horse forgetting the good times it had with Nigeria, it has also failed to realise that majority of those trooping to Dubai through Ghana are still Nigerians and for the UAE to refuse to lift the travel ban despite the achievement so far made in curtailing the coronavirus pandemic only points to high handedness on its part.
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