By Emmanuel Nduka
As the diplomatic row between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Nigerian Government stretches on, the body language of the Nigerian Government indicates that it is not ready to shift grounds until it gets the deserved respect from the UAE Government.
The Nigerian Government on Monday maintained that the sovereignty of the country remains paramount, and that its position is in line with “established ICAO protocols” and “the spirit of the BASA signed with the UAE”.
The position of the Nigerian Government was conveyed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee, PSC on Covid-19, Boss Mustapha, during Monday’s briefing of the PSC on Covid-19.
“The PSC also evaluated the developments on the relationship between Nigeria and the UAE and we are pleased to inform you that the position of the Federal Government is in line with established ICAO Protocols and the spirit of the BASA signed with the UAE. Our sovereignty remains paramount and mutual respects shall be our guiding principle in as much as it should be in the best interest of Nigeria,” he said.
He said the PSC is working with mandate Ministries to address the issues surrounding restrictions imposed by some countries on travelers from Nigeria on account of the omicron variant, adding that while each country is entitled to put in place measures to protect its citizens, Nigeria has similar responsibilities.
“With the emergence of the new COVID-19 Omicron Variant, now spreading very fast globally, Nigeria has continued to study developments and has deployed science and data to measure the risks to our citizens especially, the dangers of importation.
“The PSC wishes to assure Nigerians that it has escalated all surveillance and control measures around our country. It has similarly ramped up vaccination of eligible citizens and residents while making provisions for booster shots for those fully vaccinated.
“However, based on existing relationships, Nigeria has initiated diplomatic steps to make these countries reverse their course. This is on-going in the interest of all parties concerned and we expect that positive results would emerge within the next one week.
Obviously angered by the latest directive of the Nigerian Government to cut its flight into Nigeria from 21-a-week to just one-a-week, the UAE earlier on Monday directed international carriers to stop flying Nigerian passengers into Dubai.
International Airline Operators flying into Nigeria confirmed the directive from the UAE Government on Monday. Ethiopian Airlines and Turkish Air were some of the operators who got the notice.
