South Africa Apologises After Deportation Row
The South African government has sent a letter of apology to the Nigerian government after the "regrettable" deportation of 125 Nigerians who allegedly had irregular Yellow Fever vaccination certificates. South Africa's department of foreign affairs has issued a statement saying that the government believes the incident "could have been handled better".
A health worker administers a yellow fever vaccine (file photo).
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Nigeria: 'South Africa Using Yellow Fever to Embarrass Country'
Daily Trust, 8 March 2012
A mission by then President Olusegun Obasanjo to attend the inauguration of newly-elected South African President Thabo Mbeki was almost aborted at the last minute because of a row ... read more »
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Africa: Gloves Come Off in SA and Nigeria Diplomatic Feud (analysis)
Daily Maverick, 8 March 2012
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 ... read more »
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Nigeria: Mixed Reactions Greet Diplomatic Row
Vanguard, 8 March 2012
Mixed reactions greeted the diplomatic row with a host of groups asking Nigerians to boycott South African goods and services as MTN and DSTV in retaliation. read more »
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Nigeria: South Africa Refuses to Apologise for Deportations - Report
Vanguard, 8 March 2012
An end to the raging diplomatic row between Nigeria and South Africa kick-started by the latter's deportation of 125 Nigerians, including a serving senator over alleged possession ... read more »
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Nigeria: Nigeria-South Africa Standoff - CPC Wants Foreign Policy Overhaul
Daily Trust, 8 March 2012
Following the diplomatic row between the Federal Government and South Africa over deportation of some Nigerians, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has called for a total ... read more »
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Nigeria: CPC Faults Repatriation of 125 Citizens From South Africa
Leadership, 8 March 2012
The Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, has faulted the deportation of 125 Nigerians from South Africa on the excuse of possessing questionable yellow fever vaccine certificate. read more »
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Nigeria: Govt Plans Action Against South Africa Over Deportations
The Moment, 6 March 2012
THE Federal Government is considering tougher reciprocal action against South Africa for deporting 128 Nigerians at the weekend for being in possession of fake yellow fever cards. read more »
InFocus
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Nigeria has launched tit-for-tat expulsions of South Africans in a row over vaccination certificates. Read more »
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I am happy that the two countries are seeing eye to eye on the way forward with this issue. What concerns me though, is item 2 on the list of bi-lateral responsibilities that South Africa would be required to enforce on erring Nigerians who arrives to South Africa shores without a vaccination certificate. Firstly, no Nigerian should be allowed to board a flight to South africa from Nigeria without a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate. Secondly, I am personally opposed to anyone administering any form of injection on a Nigerian at any airport. It would not matter if it is South Africa or any other country. The truth is, with so much global hatred for Nigerians, there is no way to determine in an instant what sort of concocted drugs, experimental or otherwise, to be administered on a Nigerian. It could be the dreaded HIV/AIDS virus itself. A traveling passenger has no way of verifying what any purported health officer, who may never be seen again, could be injecting into the blood stream of an unsuspecting Nigerian.
The solution to this is simple: Data Sharing. Since this is an electronic age, the health history of any Nigerian traveling to South Africa , including an electronic validation that such passengers has had a Yellow Fever Vaccination, should be communicated to the South African Immigration Authority before the arrival of such places. since this data can be viewed electronically on the computer screen upon arrival, what the immigration officer should then do is to corroborate or checkmate the information on the computer screen with the corresponding data of the arriving passenger. This would ease the current problems which belies both immigration services in both countries. Besides, it is even more civil, and thus eliminates this suspicion that currently exist. It wouldn't cost much to equip each immigration officer at the arrival desks with computers with desktops to ease this process. Again here, whatever that is good for the goose should be good for the gander.
This is better, I was already feeling ashamed of these two so-called economic power houses of sub-saharan Africa. These two countries washing their dirty linen in the open, so that the enemies of Africa would continue to laugh. How can this be allowed to happen! Shame on you Nigeria, shame on you South Africa! The enemies of Africa in the West are laughing and are still laughing. Instead of these two countries to work harder together to eradicate the poverty in the continent, they are fighting each other. Shame on you.
Nigerian government also reserves the right to ask for an HIV free certificate from SA citizens coming into Nigeria
South Africa should try that nonesense again. This shows that Goodness and cruelty lie side by side in one's heart. Any Country is capable of anything.
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