By Ayo Yusuf
There is palpable tension in the aviation industry as both the presidency and the United Arab Emirate, UAE, give varying accounts of what transpired in the meeting between President Bola Tinubu and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of UAE on Monday.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, had said in a statement that the meeting between the two leaders resulted in the immediate cessation of the visa ban placed on Nigerian travelers.
“Furthermore, by this historic agreement, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay,” Mr. Ngelale said.
However, reports have now emerged contradicting Mr. Ngelale’s summation of the meeting and dampening the joy of public officers, travellers and workers in the sector who have been celebrating President Tinubu’s handling of the problem.
Reactions have been universally favourable to President Tinubu who received praises for bringing about such a convivial outcome of the meeting.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said in a post on his X page that President Tinubu’s “Midas touch” had made his job easier.
He said: “Special thanks to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT for personally leading our delegation to end this impasse with the UAE.
“All credit goes to him. His Midas touch during the discussion was crucial. He just made my job easier!”
A famous Nigerian actress, Eniola Badmus was no less generous in her praise as she hailed the President, describing the lifting of the embargo in a post via her Instagram handle as the “best news of the year.”
An official of the aviation think-tank, Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative, Olumide Ohunayo, said, “Congratulations that the President was able to get the visa ban lifted, and business can return fully among the two countries while we make efforts to repatriate airline funds. It is good to see that Emirates and Etihad are returning, I just hope Nigerian airlines will have the same slots and frequencies in Dubai and not outside Dubai airports, under the principle of reciprocity.”
Also reacting to the lifting of the visa and flight bans, a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Roland Iyayi, postulated that, “If Air Peace starts flying into Dubai, Emirates will reduce their price because they know that its price will be lower and will want to match theirs, so they don’t lose most of their passengers. So, there’s a possibility that fares will be reduced given the competition between Emirates and Air Peace which is indeed very good for the country.”
A former Military Commandant at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Group Capt John Ojikutu (retd.), said, “It is not about Emirates and Etihad alone, it is about every other foreign airlines that operate to Nigeria and pay our aviation services providers in dollars.”
In the midst of these discussions about the implication of the lifting of the ban as announced by the presidency, more facts have emerged to show that the presidency may have overplayed its hand by putting a spin on the outcome of the meeting.
The Emirates News Agency, the official news agency of the UAE, reported that during the meeting, which took place at Qasr Al Shati in Abu Dhabi, President Nahyan had renewed his congratulations to Tinubu on assuming the presidency, and wished him every success in leading Nigeria and its people to further progress and prosperity.
The news agency made no reference to ban lifts or flight resumption as contained in the statement of Mr. Tinubu’s aide.
The UAE News Agency however reported that both leaders agreed to strengthen ties between the UAE and Nigeria by exploring opportunities for further bilateral collaboration in economic, development, energy, and climate action fields.
Accordingly, President Tinubu affirmed Nigeria’s keenness to further enhance bilateral cooperation to support sustainable development and progress in both countries.
Mr Tinubu had visited Abu Dhabi on his way back from the G-20 meeting in India in fulfillment of a promise made three weeks earlier expressing his willingness to personally intervene to end the 10
month ban slammed on Nigerian travellers.
Recall that both airlines suspended their operations in the country due to their inability to remit home millions of dollars earned from their operations, courtesy of the forex problems in the country.
However, as Mr Ngelale claimed in his statement: “As negotiated between the two heads of state, this immediate restoration of flight activity through these two airlines and between the two countries, does not involve any immediate payment by the Nigerian government.
“In recognition of President Tinubu’s economic development diplomacy drive and proposals presented by President Tinubu to his counterpart, an agreed framework has been established, which will involve several billions of U.S. dollars worth of new investments into the Nigerian economy across multiple sectors, including defense, agriculture and others, by the investment arms of the government of the United Arab Emirates.
“Additionally, President Tinubu is pleased to have successfully negotiated a joint, new foreign exchange liquidity programme between the two governments, which will be announced in detail in the coming weeks.
“The President wishes to commend the UAE President, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his unalloyed friendship and determined effort to join hands with him to fully normalize and reset to excellence the standard of relations between the two countries.”
Analysts hope that the presidency will now come up with a comprehensive explanation about the disparities in the report of the meeting between the two presidents because of its wider implication for the aviation sector and the country’s business environment as a whole.
Below is the full statement issued by the UAE which has now generated confusion in the aviation sector:
“His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today met with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who is on a working visit to the UAE.
“During the meeting, which took place at Qasr Al Shati in Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed renewed his congratulations to Tinubu on assuming the presidency earlier this year, and wished him every success in leading Nigeria and its people to further progress and prosperity.
”His Highness expressed his hope that the two leaders will work together to reinforce ties between the UAE and Nigeria for the benefit of both countries.
“The UAE President and Nigerian President explored opportunities for further bilateral collaboration in areas that serve both countries’ sustainable economic growth, including the economic, development, energy, and climate action fields.
“The two sides also exchanged views on a number of regional and international developments of interest.
”The meeting discussed the upcoming COP28 climate conference set to take place in the UAE later this year, with both parties stressing the vital importance of encouraging and enabling international cooperation to tackle global issues, including climate change.
“His Highness underscored the UAE’s ongoing commitment to fostering ties with countries that share the same aspirations for stability, sustainable growth, and development and prosperity for their people.
“He further emphasised the particular importance the UAE attaches to its relationship with Nigeria, within the framework of its strategic vision for relations with the African continent.
“The President of Nigeria expressed his pleasure to be visiting the UAE and affirmed his country’s keenness to further enhance bilateral cooperation to support sustainable development and progress in both countries.
“The meeting was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Advisor for Special Affairs at the Ministry of Presidential Court; Dr. Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President; Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy; and Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation.”
