Business and migration purposes are top on the reasons most Nigerians are eagerly awaiting the re-opening of the country’s international airspace, a survey by BusinessDay shows.
READ ALSO: Cotonou now choice exit route for Nigerians travelling to Europe, US
Amid economic downturn worsened by the impact of COVID-19, BusinessDay’s checks show many Nigerians looking to seek greener pastures outside the country have got their passports and other documents ready awaiting the commencement of international flights.
A visit to Ikoyi passport office, the centre that processes over 40 percent of international passports in Lagos, shows a large number of people waiting to get new international passports or renew their expired ones.
“People troop in here every day to either apply for passports or renew their passports. People are just eagerly waiting for the Federal Government to open the airports for international flights,” a passport official who craved anonymity informs BusinessDay.
The official observes that people who apply for these passports are either going for business trips, health reasons or studies, which are very essential needs.
However, Susan Akporaiye, national president, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), says Nigerians are so eager to travel just to seek greener pastures.
Akporaiye says the economic situation in the country has become even worse as a result of COVID-19, which has made several companies lay off staff, so these people are looking for a fresh start in different countries.
“Some people are fed up and disappointed with the situation of the country. People are really having a change of mind and therefore they are risking their lives to pass through borders of neighbouring countries,” she states. Travelling for business purposes is another reason cited by some Nigerians for wanting to leave the country.
A Lagos-based importer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says he would not mind using the Cotonou airport because he needs to be physically present in Europe to close a deal with his business partners.
“I have been shifting my plans to meet with my business partners as we are about to close a deal. There is a need for me to be there in person to establish that trust, so I wouldn’t mind using an alternative route,” the businessman who does not want to quoted, says.
A recent survey conducted by BusinessDay online, which was viewed by over 6,600 people, shows that if given an option to travel, 58 percent of Nigerians would travel through Cotonou airport, 31 percent would wait till Nigeria’s airspace re-opens, and 11 percent says they do not know.
Experts say this survey shows that Nigerians need to travel and therefore they are finding other alternatives to travel pending when the Federal Government re-opens the airports to international flights.
“I think many relatively wealthy people are trying to get where they feel safest. They have learned they can work remotely and so have a wide choice of places to be,” Andrew S. Nevin, partner and chief economist at PwC, notes while responding to BusinessDay’s poll.
According to the economist, Nigerians who are willing to fly through Cotonou might want to do so due to medical reasons.
“Many business people have underlying conditions – heart disease, diabetes – and want to be in a place with a robust medical system. Well, if you want to travel, it is a few hours inconvenience,” Nevin says.
Ikechi Uko, a travel expert, says people need to travel and therefore they have to find a way to travel, saying, “It is a good thing for people that they are travelling. Nigerians are stranded in different parts of the world and they can’t afford evacuation flights because they are too expensive, so people have to go to neighbouring countries to travel out.”
Uko says several African countries have opened their airspace while some will be opening in a few weeks. Some of these countries he mentions include Benin Republic, Tanzania, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Cameron, Rwanda, among others.
Last week, BusinessDay reported that Nigerians now travel to Europe and the United States through Cotonou as Nigerian airspace remained shut to international flights till further notice.
The Federal Government had in March shut down international airports in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19 but allowed only diplomatic and essential flight operations.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on July 21 issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) stating that it was extending the closure of international airspace until October 15 instead of August 19 as previously stated. This implies that only essential and diplomatic flights would be allowed for now until the airspace is opened for international flight operations.
However, Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, on Monday said the Nigerian government had inaugurated the National Air Transport Facilitation Committee to review the guidelines for the reopening of the country’s airports to international flights.
Sirika, while speaking at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja, highlighted members of the committee to include officials from ministries of aviation, Foreign Affairs, Health, the Interior, Culture and Tourism and government agencies such as Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Customs, Nigeria Immigration, Nigerian police, Nigerian Quarantine Service, and Nigeria Drug and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
“We will definitely reopen. We will definitely reopen very soon and when it’s safe to do so. Reopening is the work of not only the aviation industry but other MDAs. Left to us we would have opened since, it would help us make more money and carry out our activities, pay salaries and provide the services.” he said.
According to Sirika, the purpose of the delay is to see what is safe for Nigerian citizens. “So, please bear with the situation as it is we know that some people are caught off from their families and businesses. But please try to understand that we will open. We are very responsible people; we will open when it’s the right time to open,” Sirika said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian aviation industry, as well as the economy, has suffered losses from the closure of its international borders.
Nigeria’s air transport industry slowed to 5.68 percent in the first quarter of 2020 from 9.09 percent in the comparable quarter of 2019, according to data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data.
The airports in Africa’s most populous nation witnessed increased patronage between January and June 2019, as air travellers (domestic and international) rose to 8.48 million in 6-months, the latest Air Transport report released by the NBS revealed.
In the review period, 2.12 million was reported as the number of international passengers that travelled in and out of the country through 10 major airports in the country.
