Senate condemns UK travel ban on Nigerians over Omicron

The Nigerian Senate has condemned the travel ban imposed on Nigerian travelers by the United Kingdom over the detection of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in the country.

During plenary on Tuesday, the Senate called for the urgent reversal of the UK’s decision to add Nigeria to its COVID-19 red list.

Following the consideration of a motion sponsored by Sen. Ike Ekweremadu titled “Need for Government of the United Kingdom to remove Nigeria from its COVID-19 Red List,” the Nigerian Senate said the ban on Nigerian travelers was quite uncalled for

The Senate advised the UK government to be “sensitive to the diplomatic relations between both countries when making decisions that affect Nigerian citizens.”

The Senate also urged the Federal Government to engage the British authorities in reversing Nigeria’s inclusion on the list.

It also called on the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to remain firm in the enforcement of necessary protocols in the containment of every COVID-19 variant in Nigeria.

Coming under Orders 42 and 52 of the Senate Rules, Ekweremadu noted with satisfaction the efforts of the Government of Nigeria in the containment and treatment of COVID-19 cases.

“Nigeria is among the countries with the lowest cases of COVID-19. The decision by the British Government to include Nigeria in its COVID-19 list, with its concomitant implications, will affect many citizens of Nigeria, who had planned to spend their Christmas and New Year holiday with their families.

“The Senate is also worried that Nigerians with genuine needs to visit the U.K within this period will be denied visas and those with visas will not be allowed to enter the U.K.”

Also Read: 3 new cases of Omicron variant confirmed in Nigeria

Ekweremadu drew the attention of the Senate to global concerns over vaccine hoarding and inequity and the resulting consequences on low-income nations in the fight against COVID-19.

In his remarks, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said that the decision to include Nigeria on the UK COVID-19 red list posed a strain on the diplomatic relations between both countries.

“Let there be justification for it. We are not saying that they cannot put any country on the red list, including Nigeria, but there must be reasons for doing that.

“And of course, Nigeria has done so well to the admiration of many countries in the area of containment of COVID-19.

“Therefore, we don’t see any reason why Nigeria will be on that so-called red list. I believe that Nigerians deserve better treatment from the British government.

“I’m using this opportunity to ask the British Parliament to mount pressure on its government to remove Nigeria from the so-called red list,” Lawan said.