Nigeria and UAE have restored direct flights between the two countries after one year of diplomatic talks. The move will lead to a significant economic relationship between both countries.
Covid-19 travel restrictions have been lifted from Nigeria and other 11 African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania Eswatini, Lesotho and Zimbabwe, by the United Arab Emirates on 29 January.
Restrictions have been placed since December 2021. The restriction was due to concerns related to the spread of the COVID -19 and omicron variant, said by UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management (NCEMA) and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)
Nigeria regenerates the Emirates Winter schedule on 02 February.
“The decision to suspend flights from Nigeria and other African countries had no scientifically mentioned. It was just a discriminatory move,” said Mukhtar Muhammad, the National incident manager/head technical secretariat of the Presidential Steering Committee. he further added that it was just a political move.
The famous airline Emirates had already stopped flights between controversy over Covid-19 security protocols in February. The renowned airline Emirates had already stopped flights between Nigeria and UAE in March 2021. Still, tourists and workers from both countries continued to travel between the two using Etihad airlines.
During the pandemic, 500 Nigerians lost their jobs and moved back to Nigeria as UAE stopped granting new Direct Employment visas or halted renewing them.
A considerable number of people from Nigeria work in the different states of the UAE. In 2019, around $1.7bn postage stamps cars exports to Nigeria increased by 25% annually over the past 23 years. While Nigeria exported to the UAE in the same year worth $450m and exports have increased by 41.7% annually.
Sheikh Muhammad bin shakhbut Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of state, (MOFAIC)Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international cooperation, in 2021 confirmed its Nigerian counterparts that the UAE is the globally ninth-largest exporter. The UAE know that South Africa ‘Nigeria’ is the largest economy and also a reliable and significant partner.
With the bilateral ties between the two countries, the economic relationship will develop well. And for now, Nigerian people can often travel to any part of the world without any plane bothers.
