Nigeria, SA may row over deportation tax

  •  Ethiopian Airways holds talks with NCAA
 
 
Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa are holding diplomatic talks through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on how to handle passenger complaints especially on deportation of Nigerian nationals which is assuming alarming dimension, according to Ethiopian Airways.
 
The airline in a statement this needed to be done in the spirit of African brotherhood.
 
This is the fall out of NCAA stoppage of deportation tax and charges allegedly billed travellers from Nigeria to Southern African nations on Ethiopian Airways.
 
 Nigerian travellers are on the receiving end of deportation from South Africa including xenophobic attacks which has ruffled relations between the two nations.
Ncaa  
The South African government had last week Friday deported 90 Nigerians for alleged immigration-related offences.
In February this year, 97 Nigerians were brought back to the country for immigration related offences just as the situation seems to have assumed dangerous dimension.
 
As a result of massive deportation, the charges were as a direct result of repatriation from South Africa some years back with airlines bearing the burden of the cost of repatriating passengers.
 
However, the charges imposed on flying passengers are said to be illegal as they have not gone through approval of the NCAA and is being done without knowledge of the authorities.
 
Consequently, the NCAA, on Sunday ordered the carrier to stop the action or face penalty, with the authority describing Ethiopian’s action as, ‘illegal’ and ploy to fleece travellers.
 
Woleshadare.net learnt that the charges have been on for many years undetected as they are clandestinely billed into their fares.
 
Passengers are expected to collect their refunds if they are not involved in any infraction that would warrant their deportation. But most of the time, getting the refund becomes a herculean task.
 
A statement from spokesman NCAA, Sam Adurogboye put these unauthorised charges which he referred to as Refundable Deportation Fee at between $75 and $150. He described the charges as illegal and criminal.
 
All South Africa bound passengers on Ethiopian Airlines are compelled to pay this amount before boarding.
 
The authority has been inundated with several complaints from many passengers that have suffered this fate.
 
According to investigation by NCAA, all outbound passengers to South Africa from Murtala Mohammed International Airport, (MMIA), Lagos and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, transiting through Addis Ababa, are liable to pay $75 dollars. However, if your transiting time is 24 hours or beyond, the passenger will pay $150 dollars.
 
While passengers are not given prior notice concerning these charges before arriving at the airports, some were made to sign undertaken to be responsible for all expenses incurred if deported.
 
Ethiopian Airlines in a statement today disclosed that the carrier doesn’t charge any unauthorised fees on this route from Nigeria to South Africa.
 
 “At the outset, we would like to clarify that since many passengers have been denied entry in to South Africa by the immigration authorities for various reasons, and these passengers have been inconvenienced during their stay at Johannesburg airport before they were returned back to their airport of departure, they were asked to deposit the mentioned amount to cover their incidental expenses in case they are denied entry.”
 
The airline stated that this amount has always been refunded to the passengers when they have been allowed entry in to South Africa.
 
The firm further stated that recently, NCAA notified, “us on some customer complaints on this matter and we are discussing with the authority on how to handle the matter through diplomatic channels between Nigerian and South African Governments in the spirit of African brotherhood”.
 
 It noted that it has served the people of Nigeria for the past 57 years and have proved to be a partner in progress, adding that recently when all foreign airlines refused to fly to Kaduna, Ethiopian Airways was the only one that flew to Kaduna.
 
It stated that Ethiopian was the only airline that agreed to fly to Enugu Airport and stood  with the people of Nigeria for now and in the foreseeable future.
Wole Shadare