The Senate has ruled Nigeria’s inclusion on the British government’s Red List of countries as unnecessary.
The United Kingdom put travel restrictions on aircraft arriving from Nigeria on Saturday, with Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Health, declaring that admission will be restricted to UK/Irish citizens and residents with a valid residence permit.
According to the PUNCH, the restriction was scheduled to commence on Monday, December 6th.
The Senate, on the other hand, agreed that Nigeria’s inclusion on the list was unwarranted in a motion submitted by Senator Ike Ekweremadu titled “Need for the United Kingdom’s Government to Remove Nigeria off the COVID-19 Red List.”
Ahmed Lawan, the Senate President, released a statement to The PUNCH encouraging the British Parliament to encourage the government to consider removing Nigeria from the red list.
“Let there be justification for it,” Lawan is quoted as adding. We are not saying they cannot place any country on the red list, including Nigeria, but there must be justifications.
“Of course, Nigeria has performed admirably in the field of COVID-19 containment, earning the praise of other countries.” As a result, we see no reason why Nigeria should be included on the so-called red list.
“I believe that Nigerians are entitled to a more favorable treatment by the British government. I’m taking this occasion to urge the British Parliament to exert pressure on the government of the United Kingdom to remove Nigeria from the so-called “red list.”
Sen. Ekweremadu, on the other hand, argued that the check-in movement targeted African countries, a practice that amounts to listing and bias.
He added that the travel restriction is putting a strain on the two countries’ diplomatic relations, stating that “targeting African countries, particularly in the COVID-19 travel ban, amounts to profiling and discrimination, as well as an attack on our cordial diplomatic relationship with the United Kingdom.”
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