Nigeria and forty-one other African and South American countries have been stripped of visas on arrival in Ethiopia.
The reason for the decision is yet to be made public but the Ethiopian government announced the development in a circular issued on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, Naija News reports.
The frantic action has since thrown doubts iver the partnership between Nigeria and Ethiopia as well as the African Giant’s rule of reciprocity with regard to both countries’ Bilateral Air Services Agreement( BASA).
The circular made available to newsmen by Ethiopian Airlines that was titled – ‘No More Visa on Arrival for Nigerian Citizens’, stated that the country must obtain visas from the Ethiopian Embassy in Abuja before embarking on any trip.
It reads: ”Please be informed that effective immediate No More Visa on Arrival For Nigerian Citizens. Passengers are to obtain their Visa at Ethiopian Embassy in Abuja before travelling.
“Please note that: Passengers transiting overnight in Addis Ababa are not affected by the ban. E.g. Passengers having a layover in Addis to travel the next morning to Zanzibar, Seychelles, Lusaka, Lilongwe, Harare, Cape Town, Etc are not affected by the ban and do not need a transit visa for their trips.
“Thank you for choosing Ethiopian Airlines.”
Naija News understands that the Ethiopian Visa on arrival ban was coming barely two weeks after the country’s flag carrier, Ethiopian Airlines acquired a 49 per cent majority stake in the Nigeria Air project.
The development has had the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emiefele, urging home governments of foreign airlines flying into Nigeria to reciprocate by granting equal landing opportunities to Nigerian airlines to such countries, as means of reducing the pressure on foreign exchange.
This article was originally published on Naija News
