The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has responded to former Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka, who criticized the resumption of Emirates Airline operations in Nigeria.
Chidoka condemned the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government and Emirates Airline for imposing an unwarranted visa ban and suspending flights, describing these actions as a blatant attack on the dignity of Nigerians.
He also criticized Keyamo’s announcement of the airline’s return, calling it a sad reminder of the deepening lack of national pride and Nigeria’s growing irrelevance on the global stage.
In a statement released on Wednesday, May 22, Chidoka expressed his displeasure with the UAE’s actions and questioned the rationale behind welcoming Emirates Airline back to Nigeria.
He argued that the visa ban and flight suspension reflected poorly on Nigeria and should have prompted a stronger response from the Nigerian government.
In a pointed response shared on his X handle on Wednesday evening, Keyamo accused Chidoka of hypocrisy.
He suggested that if Chidoka truly wanted to demonstrate patriotism, he should have advised his principal, Atiku Abubakar, to sell off his assets in Dubai and relocate to Abuja in protest when the visa and flight ban was first announced.
“Thank you, @osita_chidoka, for your opinion. However, to demonstrate your patriotism, sincerity, and fidelity to the touted ‘Nigerian Pride,’ the big puzzle is, why did you fail to similarly advise your boss, principal, and mentor ATIKU Abubakar (@atiku) to immediately relocate from Dubai to Nigeria and sell off all his assets there in protest when the ban on visas and flights was announced?
Hypocrisy has never been this audacious! Again, it is curious that, as a member of the think-tank of the PDP, your election strategy at a time (popularly dubbed ‘the Dubai Strategy’) was hatched in the same Dubai and not in Nigeria before the ban was announced. Why export a purely Nigerian project to Dubai if you loved Nigeria so much?” Keyamo wrote.
Keyamo further explained that the current administration is focused on fostering healthy relationships with major global partners for the benefit of Nigerians.
He argued that engaging in confrontational diplomacy (“Bolekaja diplomacy”) would harm Nigerian interests, especially given the significant investments and interests of Nigerians in the UAE.
“Considering the huge investments and interests of Nigerians in the UAE, should we continue to engage in ‘Bolekaja’ (motor park) diplomacy capable of hurting the interests of Nigerians? Will the imminent return of Emirates to Nigeria and, in a reciprocal manner, AIRPEACE returning to operating that route, not lead to better competition which will ultimately crash the present high fares on that route? Who will benefit more? How many Emiratis visit Nigeria and invest here as much as Nigerians visit the UAE and invest there? Have you bothered to ask about the lifting of the visa ban before issuing your warped statement? For your information, that has been resolved too, and the announcement is imminent,” Keyamo added.
He concluded by advising Chidoka and the PDP to work harder to regain power in 2027 and to resume their hostilities with the UAE authorities thereafter if they so choose.
