*We’re placing 3 countries on Red List- Aviation Minister
*Says ‘if they can’t allow Nigerians to their countries, who are they coming to pick in Nigeria’
In what can be regarded as retaliatory measure, the Federal Government has restricted airlines coming from Canada, United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia into Nigeria as from Tuesday, December 14.
The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, announced the decision in Lagos on Sunday, saying that the development was to reciprocate restricted flights from Nigeria into those countries over the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.
Sirika also said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration would also place the UK, Canada and Saudi Arabia on a red list over the outbreak and spread of the Omicron variant.
According to Sirika, if those countries placed Nigeria on a red list, they lacked a moral right to have their airlines fly into Nigeria on commercial operations.
He said, “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 Canada, the UK, Saudi Arabia and Argentina should 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 added that airlines of the affected countries remained banned and the countries placed on Nigeria’s red list.
Sirika also apologised to Nigerians intending to travel to those countries, asking them to note that the Federal Government’s decision was in the best interest of the country.
