COVID-19: Why We’ve Not Imposed Travel Ban On UK – FG

The federal government has disclosed why it still allows flight from the United Kingdom to come into the country.

There has been calls from Nigerians for imposition of ban on flight from the UK following the discovery of new strain of coronavirus which is spreading fast in some part of the country.

Ekohotblog reports that the federal government has reacted to such call, stating why it’s has not imposed travel ban on the European country.

According to the Federal Government, it can’t unilaterally make decision on Imposition of travel ban on the UK without consulting with other neighbouring West Africa countries.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja.

Speaking  when he featured on a Radio Nigeria programme, “Politics Nationwide”, Mohammed said Nigeria was monitoring closely the development in countries, such as the Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana, before deciding on its next line of action regarding travel ban on UK.

Mohammed said Nigeria and other neighbouring countries have to be on equal pedestal for such ban on to have desired results.

Mohammed said, though, the government was worried over the possibility Importing the COVID-19 new strain into the country, itwould not rush in making decision.

According to the minister, the Presidential Committee on COVID-19 deliberated on the issue at its meeting on Monday and resolve that it was best to monitor how events unfold in the meantime.

According to Mohammed,  talks were underway before the federal government and other West African Health Organisations, especially in Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana.

The Minister said: “We did not want to take a hasty decision to ban flight from the UK into Nigeria only to find out our people are going through Cotonou, Lome or Accra to come into the country”

He said if federal government imposed travel van on UK, airlines might bypass the ban by transferring Nigerian passengers to neighbouring countries for onward movements into Nigeria through land borders.

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According to him, “This will lead to hardship to Nigerians because if you transfer your economy to other countries you lose a lot of money.

“However, if we get the concurrence of these other countries, we will not hesitate to do the needful.