Despite persistent protests by travel agents in Nigeria over the continued sale of airline tickets in United States dollars in-country, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has remained silent, refusing to address or intervene in the controversial practice.
Rather, the industry regulator is concerned with how to expunge Nigeria from the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list. FATF is a global body established in 1995 to lead international action in combating money laundering, terrorism, and proliferation financing. Nigeria is currently on the FATF grey list due to increased capital inflows and deficiencies in combating money laundering, terrorism, and arms financing.
In combating the menace, the NCAA recently directed airlines to ensure that all international airlines flying into Nigeria enforce the $10,000 currency declaration rule.
According to the NCAA, in its directive, referenced as NCAA/CPD/ABV/298, seeks to address gaps in the enforcement of existing currency declaration obligations for inbound passengers.
The directive reads, “International carriers must take two key actions, which include ‘Make inflight or pre-landing announcements informing passengers of their legal obligation to declare any currency or Bearer Negotiable Instruments exceeding $10,000 or its equivalent upon arrival in Nigeria.
“Distribute currency declaration forms onboard for passengers to complete before landing. The NCAA has received reports indicating that some airlines have yet to comply with this directive.”
Meanwhile, travel agents under the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agents have continued to protest against the decision of some foreign airlines to accept dollar currencies as their only means of legal tender in exchange for travel tickets.
The agents have decried the act, tagging it as the real reason for the hiked ticket fee in the country and cross-border trade, whereby foreign agents sell to Nigerian travellers at a cheaper rate than what is obtainable in the country and depriving Nigeria of over 40 per cent of its travel market.
Speaking with our correspondent, NANTA National President, Yinka Folarin, called on the Federal Government to intervene in development, hence Nigeria may lose its travel market.
He added, “We are in the trade and follow the trends in the trade; there is no need for dollar-only trade in this market anymore. And the reason is, the naira is stabilising and we must respect the naira, also the margins are closing up, if you check from banks, you will see that the difference is just a small margin, also there is liquidity and transparency because the CBN is on it.”
Folarin, who currently leads over 35,000 registered travel professionals, called on the Nigerian government to assert its sovereignty by mandating airlines to accommodate naira transactions in their booking systems.
Various travel agents, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity because they were not officially empowered to speak on the matter, said Nigerian travellers will be the biggest victims if the dollar sales continue in the country.
Also reacting, the former President of NANTA, Susan Akporiaye, said the association won’t rest on its oars until the government responds to the development.
Akporiaye noted that the association and its members have consistently spoken out against the ongoing sale of airline tickets in US dollars but have yet to receive any response from the government.
“For real change to happen, it starts with speaking up. Now that this conversation is out in the open, we must keep it alive. Historically, we see action only during crises, like during the era of trapped airline funds, but once those issues subside, everything returns to business as usual. Some airlines have refused to revert because they believe the government permits this practice.
“That’s why we must hold the government accountable and urge it to do the right thing. Whatever justification existed for endorsing this practice must now be re-evaluated.”
She further emphasised, “If the government is truly committed to economic growth, it cannot allow foreign companies to operate solely in foreign currency without also providing a naira option. We’ve started the conversation, and we are confident it will reach the appropriate authorities.
“The more we speak up, the faster the message spreads. At the moment, there has been no official response, but we will not stop. We will keep raising our voices until the government responds. It’s reassuring that at least now, people aren’t scrambling to find dollars just to purchase airline tickets.”
Repeated calls and text messages sent to the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, to get a response on the matter were unanswered.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
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