SaharaReporters earlier on Wednesday reported that Chidoka, a chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a statement described the gleeful announcement of the return of Emirates Airlines to Nigeria by Keyamo as a sad reminder of the deepening lack of national pride and the growing irrelevance of Nigeria in the world.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has berated a former aviation minister Osita Chidoka for opposing the return of Emirates Airlines to Nigeria's aviation industry.
SaharaReporters earlier on Wednesday reported that Chidoka, a chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a statement described the gleeful announcement of the return of Emirates Airlines to Nigeria by Keyamo as a sad reminder of the deepening lack of national pride and the growing irrelevance of Nigeria in the world.
He urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration not to allow the airline to operate in Nigeria after its initial conduct.
But Keyamo took a jab at the former aviation minister and asked why he failed to advise a former Vice President and PDP chieftain, Atiku Abubakar to relocate from Dubai to Nigeria and sell off all his assets there in protest when the United Arab Emirates a ban on visa and flights for Nigerians.
He said, "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 to immediately relocate from Dubai to Nigeria and sell off all his assets there in protest when the ban on visa and flights were announced?
"Hypocrisy has never been this audacious!"
Keyamo further knocked Chidoka, saying his party’s “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".
He asked: "Why export a purely Nigerian project to Dubai if you loved Nigeria so much?"
The minister noted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is focused on fostering healthy relationships with major partners around the world for the ultimate benefit of Nigerians.
"Considering the huge investments and interests of Nigerians in the UAE," he said, "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 reciprocal manner, Air Peace 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.
"Rather than craftily resorting to the card of false nationalism in pursuit of cheap political points, you should have told Nigerians the economic disadvantages Nigeria stands to suffer, if any, as a result of the commendable effort of the Tinubu administration to straighten our relations with our friends in the UAE.
"I will advise your PDP to work harder to regain power in 2027 and maybe resume your hostilities with the UAE authorities thereafter."