The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced that it will restrict flights from the UK, Canada, and Saudi Arabia into Nigeria.
The government says the restriction is a tit for tat and response to the restriction of passengers' flights Nigeria has received from those countries over Omicron, the new variant of Covid-19.
According to Nigeria Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika who disclosed the decision on Sunday, the restriction with take effect from Tuesday, December 14, and the Federal Government would also place the United Kingdom, Canada, and Saudi Arabia on a red list over the outbreak and the spread of Omicron variant.
"If those countries placed Nigeria on a red list, they lacked a moral right to have their airlines fly into Nigeria on commercial operations," Sirika noted.
The minister stressed that “there is also the case of Saudi Arabia that put Nigeria on a ban list. Sirika, who participated in a meeting with the COVID-19 task force on Sunday said, the government has given its input that the decision is not acceptable and we have recommended that Canada, the UK, and Saudi Arabia also be put on the red list."
“As they have done to us, if they do not allow our citizens into their countries, then who and who are their airlines coming 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,’’ Sirika says.
He added that the airlines from the affected countries remained banned and the countries will be placed on Nigeria’s red list.
The Minister has however apologized to Nigerians who are planning to travel to those countries, saying the government's decision was in the interest of the citizens.
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