Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has condemned the red listing of Nigeria by the UK government over the two cases of the Omicron variant detected in the country.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has described the decision as unjust, unfair, punitive, indefensible, and discriminatory.
The Minister, while addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday, said the decision was not driven by science.
Mohammed said: “As you are aware, Britain has put Nigeria on its red list and banned foreign travels from our country. This is as a result of the discovery of COVID-19 cases, the Omicron variant, in Nigeria. Britain now joins other countries, including Canada, which have taken similar action against Nigeria over Omicron.
“Let me say straight away that it’s up to the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) to respond to this action by the British Government and others, and I have no doubt that the committee will respond appropriately.
“However, as the spokesman for the Federal Government, I can say, without mincing words, that the decision by the British Government to put Nigeria on the red list, just because of less than two dozen cases of Omicron which, by the way, did not originate in Nigeria, is unjust, unfair, punitive, indefensible and discriminatory. The decision is also not driven by science.”
He, therefore, expressed hope that the UK government would immediately review and rescind its decision: “We sincerely hope the British Government will immediately review the decision to put Nigeria on its red list and rescind it immediately. Nigeria has handled the Covid-19 pandemic with utmost responsibility and based on science, and has rightly earned global accolades for its efforts. Nigeria does not belong on any country’s red list.”
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire had earlier expressed disappointment over the decision.
Ehanire said, “We were not very happy when six countries in Sub-Saharan Africa were placed on a red list and the WHO also advised against putting each other on the red list.
“From what we know about the COVID-19, there are many ways to manage it, and besides, not much is still known about the Omicron variant. We know, for example, that there have been no fatalities.
“There have also been no reports of very severe illness. Actually, the rationale for being so hasty in putting countries on the red list is not something that is very helpful.”
