UAE Row Gets Messier; FG Puts Retaliation on Hold

In an anti-climax of the sort, the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, which had been primed to affirm a retaliatory travel ban imposed last week on Nigeria by the United Kingdom (UK), Canada and Saudi Arabia, yesterday, deferred its pronouncement until its next meeting on Monday, December 20.

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, had at the weekend, made the disclosure that the Federal Government would place the UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia, among others, on a red list, banning both airlines and their citizens from coming into the country to reciprocate the earlier ban on Nigerians over the spread of Omicron variant of COVID-19.

The sanction, which had been recommended to the PSC by the Ministry of Aviation, was to take effect today; but at its weekly briefing yesterday, the PSC said it is working with mandate ministries to address the issues surrounding the restriction imposed by some countries on travellers from Nigeria.

Chairman of the PSC and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said: “While each country is entitled to put in place measures to protect its citizens, Nigeria has similar responsibilities. However, based on existing relationships, Nigeria has initiated diplomatic steps to make these countries reverse their course. This is ongoing in the interest of all parties concerned and we expect that positive results would emerge within the next one week.”