By Victoria Ojeme, ABUJA
IF the refusal of entry into South Africa of 125 Nigerians, including a senator, aboard an Arik Air flight on account of alleged fake yellow fever vaccination card was meant to be a routine immigration action, unfolding events in the last one week have clearly proven otherwise.

The 125 Nigerians were reportedly refused entry into the country as soon as they landed at the Oliver R. Thambo International in Johannesburg on account of yet to be proven possession of fake yellow vaccination card.

The gloves have come off in an unseemly diplomatic row between South Africa and Nigeria. The sorry saga began when South African officials at OR Tambo International Airport deported 125 Nigerians last Friday because their yellow fever vaccination certificates were believed to have been faked. The Nigerian government feels slighted and instead of sulking in the corner, they are retaliating by doing some deportation work of their own. By KHADIJA PATEL.

Nigerian authorities at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Nigeria have deported at least 84 South Africans citing similar complaints about their vaccination cards. On Tuesday Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister, Olugbenga Ashiru, a former High Commissioner to South Africa, said in an address to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs that the South Africans were deported for “irregular travel documents”. He warned that the deportations were just the beginning of yet further retaliatory action. The wrath of the Nigerian government is now set to turn on South African businesses operating in the West African country. Ashiru warned South African firms who brought inexperienced South African graduates to work in their businesses in Nigeria of sanctions should they continue to rob better-qualified Nigerians of job opportunities.

In response, the spokesman for the department of home affairs, Ronnie Mamoepa, insisted the matter was not an immigration issue but rather a public health issue. And while the South African department of health has so far remained mum on the deportation of the Nigerians, the Nigerian minister of health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, is reported to have said Nigeria was not prone to Yellow Fever and therefore, did not warrant the deportation.

The World Health Organisation classifies Nigeria is as one of the 44 countries at a risk of exposure to the yellow fever virus. Chukwu however pointed out that the last confirmed case of yellow fever in Nigeria was recorded 1995. He insists Nigeria is not at risk of a Yellow Fever outbreak. According to him, the Port Health Services of the Nigerian health ministry issues Yellow Fever cards and vaccines at all Nigerian international airports, land borders and sea ports in the country. The vaccine is said to be given free, but a nominal fee is charged for issuing the card itself. Chukwu insists that none of the deported Nigerians were in fact in possession of fake yellow fever cards as alleged by South African authorities. Flouting widespread reports of counterfeit Yellow Fever cards for sale at Nigeria’s airports at a cheaper price than the real thing, Chukwu said no country, individual or group had lodged any complaint to his office about counterfeit Nigerian Yellow Fever cards. Exemplifying the severity of Nigerian anger towards South Africa, Chukwu called on South Africa to “stop politicising health issues”.

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The harshest criticism of South Africa, however, was from the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who described the deportations as a “continuous unwarranted hostilities against Nigerians by the South Africa government’’. She has also made pretty shocking allegations against authorities at OR Tambo International for the conditions in which the deported passengers were held for the 24 hours before they were finally bundled off back to Nigeria. She alleges the Nigerians were held without water and food in “inhumane conditions”. While many South Africans struggle to understand the severity of the anger aroused among the Nigerians, Nigerian authorities feel particularly slighted for their citizens to have been treated in such a way by fellow Africans. Dabiri-Erewa reminded the South African government that Nigerians, including women and children, joined in the fight against apartheid, adding that it was an unfair and un-African way to repay Nigerians.

Tolu Ogunlesi, a Nigerian columnist with the Huffington Post, says the Nigerian news media and social media channels have reacted strongly, albeit ambivalently to the story of the deportation. “From the reactions I have encountered, most people think the Nigerian response – retaliation – is justified. A few disagree, insisting that Nigerians should focus on and acknowledge their own failings, the sort which allow a planeload of persons to enter South Africa with questionable vaccination certificates,” he told Daily Maverick.

Ordinarily, issues of deportation and the nagging questions of human rights posed are answered by immigration officials. This time however, the ramifications are far reaching. The Nigerian foreign minister has requested the South African government to apologise and pay compensation to the affected travellers and also to Arik Air, the airline carrier that brought the Nigerians to Johannesburg. South Africa’s ambassador to Nigeria was summoned by the Nigerian government on Monday, but he has failed to placate the Nigerians. The effects on South African business in Nigeria could be especially damaging. Already reports suggest the Arise Magazine Fashion Week, taking place in Lagos this week, has been disrupted because South African designers meant to travel to Nigeria have been caught up in the tit-for-tat standoff between the two countries.
[b]BBC - South africa apologizes

South Africa has apologised for the deportation last week of 125 Nigerians over suspicions that their yellow fever certificates were fake.

The action quickly turned into a diplomatic spat - with Nigeria refusing South Africans entry and the foreign minister branding Pretoria xenophobic.

South Africa has rejected that claim - and promised new procedures to avoid a repeat of the "regrettable incident".

At one stage Nigerian carrier, Arik Air, suspended flights to South Africa.

Yellow fever is spread through infected mosquitoes and has a wide array of symptoms from nausea and vomiting to kidney failure, jaundice and bleeding.

According to the UN World Health Organization, about half those who develop severe symptoms of the haemorrhagic illness and are untreated die from the disease - about 30,000 people each year worldwide.

'Regrettable incident'
"We wish to humbly apologise to them, and we have," South Africa's Deputy Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ibrahim said.

"We are apologising because we deported a number of people who should not have been deported," Mr Ibrahim said - adding that he does not expect an apology from Nigeria for the tit-for-tat deportations of South African nationals.

He blamed airport authorities for what a joint statement with Nigeria described as a "regrettable incident which the South African government believes could have been handled better".
[/b]
The Nigerians were turned away on 2 March because the yellow fever certificates were not check properly, according to the deputy minister.

South Africa is considering reopening a travel clinic at Johannesburg's airport - so that travellers without a yellow fever certificate can be vaccinated on arrival rather than deported.

And from now on, mass deportations will need the permission of foreign ministry officials, the deputy minister said.

On Tuesday, Olugbenga Ashiru, Nigeria's foreign minister, said the deportations was evidence of xenophobia.

"What you see playing out is what we call xenophobia by South Africans against all Africans - not just Nigerians," AFP news agency reported him as saying.

amc:
And how did he deal with South Africa when some Nigerians were killed in South Africa in [b]April 2015 [/b]in another period of xenophobic violence?

bamosagie:


Buhari was the In-coming president then....

kayfra:
Here we go with useless comparison that hasn't resulted in the end of the xenophobia

You people are truly useless and hapless

kayfra:
Here we go with useless comparison that hasn't resulted in the end of the xenophobia

You people are truly useless and hapless

selemempe:
lol...the word 'useless' must mean something different.

U have just been told how the previous govt defended nigeria's honor during the same crisis and u call it useless. Pray tell, wat then would be useful?

Arda1000:
if anyone here is useless it's definitely you

kayfra:
So it's about an ego trip to you?

Have you checked the meaning of hapless and how it applies to your life?

selemempe:
have we gone from useless to hapless?

Wat does buhari feed his supporters...man this is sick. Byr

rozayx5:
How Nigeria deported 84 south Africans after the maltreatment of 125 Nigerians. And the solid warnings from the government.
South africa gave an official apology after the drama




Sources
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/03/s-africa-apologises-for-turning-away-nigerians/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-17299326

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-03-08-gloves-come-off-in-sa-and-nigeria-diplomatic-feud/amp/

The media always called GEJ a weak man but I think they should have a rethink

Lalasticlala front-page please . maybe Buhari can learn something an act like a man, this took sometime to compile.

kayfra:
[s]Get a prescription for your ailment. Useless and hapless fellow[/s]

kayfra:
You are empty. Go talk to your mates. This is above your level

NgeneUkwenu:
Useless IPOB idiots... What did the ogogoro drunkard do differently than condemning it?

Arda1000:
A fool at 40 is a fool and forever useless. just take a look at the useless thing coming from ur useless brian.
comot 4 my face before I head nack Ur ugly useless nose

kayfra:
Here we go with useless comparison that hasn't resulted in the end of the xenophobia

You people are truly useless and hapless

kayfra:
Learn how to spell brain

Olofo

Arda1000:
Ewuru a person's IQ is not measured by spelling of English words.
it's measured by how a person reasons.
and looking at the level of Ur stupidity i must say it's below average.

GreyLaw:


Are you so dumb and bereft of any modicum of reasoning not to know that the purpose of this thread is to tell you that at least the then president did something?!?

People like you are the reason Nigeria is held hostage by rogue politicians, because you, like ravenous beasts, lick their butts everywhere they go. Shame on you!

rozayx5:
How Nigeria deported 84 south Africans after the maltreatment of 125 Nigerians. And the solid warnings from the government.
South africa gave an official apology after the drama




Sources
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/03/s-africa-apologises-for-turning-away-nigerians/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-17299326

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-03-08-gloves-come-off-in-sa-and-nigeria-diplomatic-feud/amp/

The media always called GEJ a weak man but I think they should have a rethink

Lalasticlala front-page please . maybe Buhari can learn something an act like a man, this took sometime to compile.