>
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have suspended entry into the country for passengers from Nigeria and three other African countries.
The other countries are Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
The latest suspension is coming at a time the Federal Government and the UAE had just settled another dispute leading to the lifting of the restriction on Emirates Airline.
Federal Government had withdrawn Emirates Airline winter schedule in retaliation after UAE authorities denied Air Peace the three frequencies requested at Sharjah Airport.
The Federal Government through the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had reinstated Emirates’ frequencies after the UAE authorities granted seven slots to Air Peace in the country.
While both Emirates and Air Peace have not resumed flights, the UAE authorities issued a new travel restriction which it blamed on the rising cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19.
In a statement the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA), and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the Emirates confirmed the “suspension of entry of travelers from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Nigeria on all flights of national and foreign carriers, as well as transit passengers coming from them, as of Saturday, December 27 at 7:30 pm.”
“The suspension includes those who were present during the 14 days before coming to the UAE,” the statement added.
But the Director General of NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, told Daily Trust that the development is yet to be communicated to the country.
“As DG of NCAA, I have not received any official communication from UAE on this. I am also reading it on the social media,” he said