FG to ban flights from UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Argentina

Presidential Steering Committee plans to ban flight into and out of Nigeria for countries that has put the nation on their Omicron red alert. As a result with effect from Tuesday, December 14, Nigeria will restrict airlines coming from Canada, United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia into Nigeria. Minister of Aviation, Capt. Hadi Sirika, announced the decision on Sunday in Lagos and explained that it was to reciprocate restricted flights from Nigeria into those countries over the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.

Sirika said 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. The minister noted that if those countries placed Nigeria on a red list, they lacked a moral right to have their airlines fly into Nigeria on commercial operations. “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,’’ the minister said. 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, but said Nigerian government’s decision was in the interest of the country.

It will be recalled that the UK had on December 4, added Nigeria to its red list and imposed a travel ban, citing the Omicron variant. British Health Minister Sajid Javid, who announced the development, had said Nigeria was second only to South Africa in terms of Omicron cases linked to travels. Canada and Saudi Arabia had also banned flights and Nigerians from coming into their countries. Nigeria currently has a signed Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) with over 90 countries. However, over the years, stakeholders have lamented that most air agreements between Nigeria and other countries have been one-sided as Nigerian airlines have been unable to reciprocate the agreements due to what they termed, “aero-politics”. According to Sirika, Nigeria can no longer fold her hands to overlook the sovereignty of over 200 million of her citizens being taken for granted.