Nigeria could ban flights coming in from the UK, as well as Canada, Saudi Arabia and Argentina, according to leaked comments from the country’s aviation minister.
The proposed move would be in retaliation to flights to those countries from Nigeria being restricted over the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Nigeria was added to the UK’s so-called red list earlier this month, meaning that people arriving from Nigeria had to go into quarantine in a designated hotel at their own expense.
The only countries which appear on the UK’s red list are African nations leading to accusations of discrimination.
In recorded comments leaked to the media, Nigerian Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika said: “We have given our input in aviation, it is not acceptable by us and we recommend that those countries – Canada, the UK, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina – be also put on red list, as they did similarly to us.”
The ban, if approved, could be imposed on Monday or Tuesday, he said.
“Once they are put on the red list, which means they are banned, of course, their airlines will be banned. I’m so sorry, we are going through a difficult moment, but we have to do it in the interest of our country,” Mr Sirika said according to the Punch newspaper
Source:Fiilafmonline/BBC
