The update reads very nice: “The disagreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Nigeria over airline slots the Arab country gave to Nigeria’s Air Peace, appears to be nearing its end as the UAE, on Monday, decided to concede seven slots to the Nigerian carrier instead of one it earlier approved.”

The disagreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Nigeria over airline slots the Arab country gave to Nigeria’s Air Peace, appears to be nearing its end as the UAE on Monday, decided to concede seven slots to the Nigerian carrier instead of one it earlier approved.

The Nation reported, citing sources, that the UAE also granted Air Peace the permit to fly directly to Dubai instead of Sharjah Airport.

Last week, Nigeria had taken a retaliatory decision against Emirate Airline over United Arab Emirate’s decision to limit Air Peace to one-weekly flight to the UAE, whereas Emirates got the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)’s approval for 21-weekly flights to Nigeria.

Nigerians, believe in yourselves. Once we begin to do that, the world will come along. Those who criticized the government for fighting for Air Peace should understand that in this world, being nice within an unfair market negotiation, does not win a Nobel Peace Prize. Nigeria has nothing to lose but the UAE has ALL to lose. That was why it did not just allocate the original 3 slots Air Peace asked for but dropped 7.

Good move Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Emirates. A really great piece of music is playing in Abuja and Dubai now. Since we took a tougher position even British Airways and associated authority are approaching things in more respectable manners.

I do not like these international commercial confrontations but I have grown to understand that sometimes they could be the only ways to make progress in this world. UAE cannot give Air Peace just one weekly flight (out of 3 it requested)  when we are giving Emirates 21.

I commend the NCAA: it is called reciprocity – 1 for 1! If Air Peace gets one, Emirates also gets 1. But if they allow Air Peace the 3 it asked for, then approve the 21 Emirates requested. It is called fairness!

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Bows to Nigeria’s Pressure, Concedes Seven Flights Slots to Air Peace

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Beware of those who will tell you that you are unfit and unqualified, if you pay attention to them, then you could be in trouble for longer time than necessary.

Some tried to lecture us here, based on their supposed experience in international aviation and UAE as a country, what they didn’t tell us was how giving Air Peace one slot was beneficial to Nigeria and Nigerians.

In some people’s eyes, Nigeria is so useless that it cannot stand up for anything, so it’s very easy for them to side with other countries treating Nigeria unfairly, they will give you amalgam of reasons why Nigeria is the wrong party. This thing called slavery is still working its wonders in the minds of our people, and it’s going to take a very long time to obliterate such mentality.

No nation is nice in this world, and if you don’t get that memo, you will be gamed over and over, it never stops.

My Response: “Some tried to lecture us here, based on their supposed experience in international aviation and UAE as a country, what they didn’t tell us was how giving Air Peace one slot was beneficial to Nigeria and Nigerians.” – honestly, I read comments that came out of Nigerians and was like —- people have lost confidence of themselves.

The disagreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Nigeria over airline slots the Arab country gave to Nigeria’s Air Peace, appears to be nearing its end as the UAE on Monday, decided to concede seven slots to the Nigerian carrier instead of one it earlier approved.

The Nation reported, citing sources, that the UAE also granted Air Peace the permit to fly directly to Dubai instead of Sharjah Airport.

Last week, Nigeria had taken a retaliatory decision against Emirate Airline over United Arab Emirate’s decision to limit Air Peace to one-weekly flight to the UAE, whereas Emirates got the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)’s approval for 21-weekly flights to Nigeria.

In a bid to avoid the looming diplomatic row the development will cause, the UAE has rescinded its decision.

But in response to the report that it has directed international carriers operating into Nigeria not to airlift Nigerian travelers to Dubai, the UAE said it has no knowledge of that.

The Arab country’s decision to reverse its earlier decision limiting Air Peace’s flight’s slots into Dubai to one-weekly, was contained in a letter from the General Civil Aviation Authority, dated Dec. 13, 2021, to Air Peace, according to sources who spoke to The Nation. Although the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not copied in breach of protocol, the Federal Government was said to have received the letter.

“In the letter, the UAE said Air Peace can fly directly to Dubai and not Sharjah Airport. This is the latest on the development. Even though they did not follow the right diplomatic channel by writing to the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs which will in turn inform the Aviation Minister, this is still a positive development.”

Asked if the UAE has stopped other carriers from conveying Nigerians to Dubai, the source said, “This is in the realm of rumours. I don’t think it is true. No official communication banning Nigerians from entering Dubai through other carriers. If anybody has such a directive, let him or her produce it. It will be in gross violation of international civil aviation regulations.

“The Federal Government got no such information at the diplomatic or official level. I think with the latest concessions, the UAE was trying to avoid a diplomatic row with Nigeria. We also do not want any row with the UAE.”

Nigeria is showing readiness to reciprocate discriminatory foreign policies, especially with countries like the UAE, who have a lot to gain from Nigeria. A “do me I do you” sort of response to travel restrictions implemented by foreign countries seems also to be part of the new approach.

Hadi Sirika, Nigeria’s Aviation Minister had called the UAE’s decision “very insulting” and “not acceptable” by international treaties, conventions and agreements.

“And therefore I directed that they also be given one frequency and into Abuja and beginning from December 12. From December 13, they will only come once into the country. “So, anyone who wants to get into Emirates should get out by December 12.

“I know they cannot bear the pressure. Honestly, who cares? By their not coming, they are losing a lot of money and we also in Nigeria are losing the service they provide. But the sovereignty of 200 million people is too important to toil with,” he said.

Though thousands of Nigerians travel to Dubai weekly, a huge patronage to UAE’s tourist economy that it can’t afford to lose, the row between the two countries has been moving from one end to the other. Recently, the UAE announced the decision to stop issuing work visas to Nigerians. That was in addition to covid flight-ban that earlier halted airline activities between the two countries.

Nigeria is also gearing up to respond to the decisions of Canada, the UK and Saudi Arabia, placing it on covid red list over Omicron variant.

“We have given our input that it is not acceptable by us and we recommend that those countries – Canada, UK, Saudi Arabia and Argentina – be also put on the red list.

“So, like they did to us, if they don’t allow our citizens into their country; who are they coming as airlines to pick out of our country?

“So, they are not supposed to come in. I am very sure in the next three days; Monday or Tuesday, all those countries will be put on the red list of COVID-19.

“Once they are on the red list, which means they are banned, their airlines will also be banned. I am so sorry we are going through difficult times, but it is in the interest of our country,” Sirika said.

Nigerians are likely going to pay more taxes in the coming year as federal government plans to increase taxes in order to tackle revenue shortfalls. This is according to a statement issued by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, who said that new tariffs and levies would be introduced in 2022 to stimulate Nigeria’s economic growth.

Mrs. Ahmed made this known on Monday while addressing some stakeholders at a public hearing on the 2021 Finance Bill organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance in Abuja.

According to Vanguard, she said that a couple of reforms and amendments had been recommended in the draft 2021 Finance amendment bill, adding that more reforms would be introduced by the middle of 2022.

She explained that while modest changes had been proposed, more fiscal reforms were in view as the ministry could not take all the proposals collected from stakeholders.

“Our aspiration is to do a midterm review with a possibility of another Finance Bill in mid-year 2022 to bring in more amendments. There are ongoing cases in court against the Federal Government on the Value Added Tax (VAT) and stamp duties, which was why the ministry stayed off those areas.

“We prepared this draft bill along five reform areas, the first domestic revenue mobilization, the second is tax administration and legislative drafting, third is International taxation, fourth is financial sector reforms and tax equity and fifth is improving public financial management reform.

“The provision in the draft bill is proposing to amend the Capital Gains Tax Act, Company Income Tax, FIRS Establishment Act, Personal Income Tax, Stamp Duties Act and Tertiary Education Act, Value Added Tax, Insurance Police Trust Fund and the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

“This is to amend the Police Trust Fund Act and the Nigerian Trust Fund Acts, the purpose is to empower the FIRS to collect the Nigerian trust fund levies on companies on behalf of the fund itself.

“Currently, because there is no such provision, the FIRS is unable to start collecting on behalf of the fund. Also, it is to streamline the tax and the levy collection from the Nigerian companies in line with Mr. President’s administration ease of doing business policy.

“So we do not have NASENI going out to collect that tax, the FIRS will collect on their behalf during their collection process and it will be passed through to them,” she said.

Ahmed said that the bill was a product of the President Muhmmadu Buhari’s commitment made while presenting the 2022 budget to the joint session of the National Assembly on October 8, 2021, explaining that the ministry had worked with relevant stakeholders and Fiscal Policy Reform Committee to draft the 2021 Finance bill.

Since the past six years, Nigeria’s financial crisis has spiraled, slipping out of government’s control. With oil revenue, which is Nigeria’s main source of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), depleted, the country has taken to borrowing to fund its budgetary allocation. But the bloating debt burden has become a cause of major concern to Nigerians, as the loans taken by the government is believed to not commiserate with Nigeria’s infrastructural development and economic growth.

Last week, there was a report that federal workers would not be paid their December salaries due to revenue shortfalls. The Debt Management Office (DMO) said Nigeria’s total public debt has risen to N35,465 trillion as of June 30 2021. This means, currently, the federal government is spending over 98% of its revenue on debt servicing.

Seeking a way out of this predicament, President Buhari’s administration has taken to tax increment, starting with the upward review of Value Added Tax and the introduction of Stamp Duty tax. The new plan to amend Financial Bill 2020, which will include reviewing Capital Gains Tax Act, Company Income Tax, FIRS Establishment Act, Personal Income Tax, Stamp Duties Act and Tertiary Education Act and Value Added Tax upward, indicates that apart from borrowing, taxation seems to be Nigeria’s only alternative for revenue generation – but it may hamper Nigeria’s economic recovery.

In the wake of covid outbreak, many countries acted to limit the resultant economic hardship by providing liquidity support to businesses to help them stay afloat, and providing income support to vulnerable households.

Measures taken include extending deadlines for tax filing, the deferral of tax payments, the provision of faster tax refunds and tax exemptions. These measures were recommended for every country, including developing countries like Nigeria, hardly hit by covid’s economic downturn.

“Tax policy should continue to focus on limiting hardship while maintaining the ability for a quick rebound …. The best way to boost tax revenue will be to support solid growth, including through sufficiently strong and sustained stimulus,” the OECD said in its policy response to covid-19.

Nigeria is still grappling with meagre disposable income crisis buoyed by struggling businesses and high unemployment rate. Thus, government’s plan to increase taxes is seen as adding nails to the coffin of its ailing economy.

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