The federal government has reacted to the travel ban slammed on Nigeria by the United Kingdom after it announced on Saturday, December 4 that it discovered 21 cases of the Omicron variant in people who recently visited Nigeria.
Recall that last week, Canada banned Nigerian travellers after the detection of the variant in persons who visited Nigeria.
Addressing the media in Abuja yesterday, the minister of information and culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed said 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 minister who further contended that the decision by the UK authorities was not science-based said: “How do you slam this kind of discriminatory action on a country of 200 million people, just because of less than two dozen cases? Whereas British citizens and residents are allowed to come in from Nigeria, non-residents from the same country are banned.
“The two groups are coming from the same country, but being subjected to different conditions. Why won’t Britain allow people in both categories to come in, and be subjected to the same conditions of testing and quarantine? This is why this decision to ban travellers from Nigeria, who are neither citizens nor residents, is grossly discriminatory and punitive.
“The…travel ban, the type that has been slammed on some African countries, is a knee-jerk reaction that can only be detrimental to our quest to most conclusively tackle this pandemic. Instead of these reflex responses that are driven by fear, rather than science, why can’t the world take a serious look at the issue of access to vaccines, and ensure that it is based on the principles grounded in the right of every human to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, political belief, economic or any other social condition,” he said.
He accused the developed nation of using the advantage of their enormous resources or relationship to sign agreements with manufacturers to supply their countries with vaccines ahead of making them available for use by other countries.
“Even before the clinical trials were completed, millions of doses of the most promising vaccines have been bought by Britain, US, Japan and the EU.
“Some of these countries bought doses five times the size of their population, while others, mostly in Africa, have little or no access to vaccines.
“This is the real issue to address, instead of choosing the easy path of travel bans, which the UN Secretary General called Travel Apartheid.
“Let the world know that no one is safe until everyone is safe,” he added.
Mohammed further disclosed that in the wake of the discovery of Omicron, the PSC reviewed its international travel protocol, which, according to him, came into effect on December 5, 2021.
He said the review “is aimed at further reducing the risk of importation and exportation of COVID-19, especially the variants of concern.”
“Under the revised protocol, passengers arriving in Nigeria are expected to provide evidence of and comply with the following rules: *COVID-19 PCR test to be done within 48 hours before departure
*Post-arrival Day 2 COVID-19 PCR test
*Self-isolation for 7 days (for unvaccinated and partially-vaccinated individuals)
*Day 7 post-arrival exit PCR test (for unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals.
On the other hand, out-bound passengers are required to provide *Valid evidence of full vaccination against COVID-19
*Negative PCR test result within 48hrs from the time boarding.
“These are science-driven actions, rather than those based on emotions and other extraneous reasons. However, if any country is not satisfied with them, why not simply subject Nigerians arriving in their country to their own PCR tests and proven conditions, like quarantine, instead of banning them outrightly?
“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,” Mohammed added.
Also reacting to the ban, the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, said the travel ban on some African countries over Omicron is “very unfair, non-scientific and discriminatory.”
Adesina, who said this through his verified Twitter handle @akin_adesina, urged the western world to lift the travel ban on African countries.
He queried why the travel ban was not placed on non-African countries where Omicron had also been found.
“Global vaccines and travel apartheid against Africa are endangering lives, hurting economies, lives, jobs and livelihoods from a pandemic Africa did not cause. End the apartheid. Respect Africa,” Adesina said.
Similarly, Nigeria’s high commissioner to the UK, Mr. Sarafa Ishola, described the travel restrictions imposed on the country as apartheid.
He said in a BBC interview that what is expected of the UK is a global approach and not a selective measure, adding that most Omicron cases in Nigeria came from elsewhere through travellers.
“Omicron is classified as a mild variant, no hospitalisation, no deaths, so the issue is quite different from the Delta variant,” he added.
Also speaking, chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 and secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, said the federal government was reviewing the sanctions imposed on Nigeria by the British government.
Mustapha said at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja that Nigeria would respond appropriately after the review of issues raised by the British government.
“All countries have processes that they have put in place to mitigate the effect of the virus, the British government has decided to add Nigeria to their list, we are reviewing that and Nigeria will respond appropriately. We will meet and look at all the issues raised by the British government and a response will come out of that.”
In his reaction, the minister of state for health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, said the presidential committee would take a decision soon.
Asked if Nigeria would retaliate, Mamora said it was not about retaliation but more of what would be in the best interest of Nigerians.
The minister, however, faulted the UK and others for banning travellers from Nigerians.
“It is not about retaliation but what is best for our country. The PSC will take a decision on the matter soon but it will be in the best interest of our country. Even the United Nations described the act as travel apartheid. That is exactly what it is,” Mamora said.
Stakeholders in the aviation industry also lashed out at Britain saying its restriction was skewed toward Nigerians while UK airlines keep coming in and out of the ‘red list zone.’
Secretary general of the Aviation Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), Group Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd), said the restriction was informed more by economic and political considerations, than the “variant of concern.”
“What economic sense would it make for British Airways to be coming to Nigeria under its COVID-19 rules when 90 per cent of its inbound and outbound passengers are Nigerians?
“We have more Nigerians going to the UK on BA and Virgin Atlantic. Are we looking more inwards and beyond COVID-19, Delta variant and now Omicron?
“Carrying more Nigerians outbound Nigeria and inbound UK means more of their monies getting trapped in our Central Bank, in addition to over £300 million yet to be transferred before the Omicron fear, by my understanding, is more economic and diplomatic than the pandemic restrictions.
“The battle started with BA saying it would not sell tickets to outbound passengers from Nigeria. Why? Because of trapped £300 million sales tickets money in the CBN.
BA looked for another way out using COVID-19 as a reason for banning Nigeria. Pay BA the money trapped in the CBN today, the gates in and out of the UK will be opened to Nigerians,” Ojikutu said.
