FG To Impose Travel Ban On UK And Saudi Arabia In Retaliatory Moves

Federal Government of Nigeria is set to impose travel ban on the United Kingdom, Argentina, Canada, and Saudi Arabia.

Gatekeepers News reports that the Federal Government of Nigeria is set to add the United Kingdom, Argentina, Canada, and Saudi Arabia to its red list countries, following their decision to impose travel restrictions on the country.

The United Kingdom imposed restrictive measures against Nigeria and other countries over the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID19, about 13 countries have also barred travellers from UK from entering their territories.

The UK said it had imposed travel restrictions on Nigeria, claiming that 21 cases of Omicron recorded in England were linked to travellers from Nigeria.

Canada and Saudi Arabia had also banned travellers from Egypt, Nigeria, and Malawi over fears of the spread of the new Omicron variant.

The ban was trailed by controversies with some national and international stakeholders describing it as racist and discriminatory.

The Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had also at a press conference condemned the decision of the UK.

He described it as discriminatory, unfair, punitive, indefensible, and unjust.

In a leaked voice note available to Gatekeepers News, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, stated that the decision to ban these countries in retaliation would be made by the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 latest by Tuesday.

He said, “Also, there is a case of Saudi Arabia, which put Nigeria on the banned list – no visa, no travel, et Cetra. So also Canada.

“So, today, there was a meeting, I participated in a zoom meeting, COVID-19 task force, just for your information also.

“We have given our input in aviation, it is not acceptable by us and we recommend that those countries – Canada, the UK, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina be also put on Red List, as they did similarly to us.

“If they don’t allow our citizens to go into their countries who are their airlines coming to pick from our country?

“So, I am very sure that in the next few days, between now and Monday, or perhaps Tuesday, at maximum, all those countries will be put on the red list from the PSC (Presidential Steering Committee) from the task force of COVID-19. Once they are put on the red list, which means they are banned, of course, their airlines will be banned.

“I’m so sorry, we are going through a difficult moment, but we have to do it in the interest of our country.”