The Federal government of Nigeria has revealed its readiness to restrict flights coming from Canada, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia into the country following the outbreak of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.
Minister of Aviation, Capt. Hadi Sirika, while announcing the decision on Sunday in Lagos, explained that it was to reciprocate the restriction of flights from Nigeria into those countries over the disease outbreak.
The Minister stated that the countries that placed a travel ban on Nigeria due to the virus lacked a moral right to have their airlines fly into the country on commercial operations.
According to him, “President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration would also place the United Kingdom, Canada and Saudi Arabia on a red list over the outbreak and spread of the Omicron variant.
“There is also the case of Saudi Arabia that put Nigeria on the ban list. On Sunday, I participated in a meeting with the COVID-19 task force.
“We have given our input that it is not acceptable by us and we recommended that those Canada, the UK, Saudi Arabia and Argentina also be put on the red list.
“As they did to us if they do not allow our citizens into their countries; who are they coming, as airlines, to pick from our country? They are not supposed to come in. I am very sure in the next three days, Monday or Tuesday, all those countries will be put on the red list of COVID-19.”
He stressed that airlines of the affected countries remained banned and the countries placed on Nigeria’s red list.
Sirika apologised to Nigerians intending to travel to those countries as he noted that the government’s decision was in the interest of the country.
Recall that the Canadian and the UK government had imposed travel restrictions on Nigeria following an increase in the number of cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 across the world.
