Omicron Variant: Outrage over UK’s Red-listing of Nigeria

IN THE ARENA

Discriminatory red-listing of Nigeria by the United Kingdom over claims that some travellers who arrived Britain with COVID-19’s Omicron variant were traced to Nigeria has deservedly drawn strong pushback by key stakeholders, writes Louis Achi

As Omicron, the latest variant of the Covid-19, apparently made landfall in the United Kingdom, the government quickly red-listed Nigeria following claims that some travellers who arrived Britain with the virus were traced to Nigeria.

While transit travellers are allowed connecting flights to other destinations at the airside, there is a temporary travel ban for all non-UK and non-Irish citizens and residents who have been in Nigeria in the last 10 days, which means they would be refused entry into Britain.

The red list, which became effective on December 6 means that Nigerians who do not have UK citizenship or residence permit can no longer travel to the country until the advisory is revised.

The British move is seen as fundamentally discriminatory. It is noteworthy that after South Africa announced the detection of Omicron, Netherlands disclosed that the COVID-19 variant had been in their country but UK has not announced a ban of Dutch travellers.

Currently, there is no report that the new variant has recorded fatality anywhere in Africa. Not even in South Africa, which first announced the presence of the variant. But there are reports that Omicron is spreading in Europe as many of the countries prepare for the 4th wave of a stubborn pandemic.

Appreciative of the travel ban implications and moving quickly, the Nigerian government has faulted the decision by the UK government, describing it as unjust and discriminatory. The Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, who spoke during a press conference early last week, called on the UK government to rescind its decision immediately.

Also, the two chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday urged the UK authorities to reverse its decision. The Senate urged the federal government to engage British authorities to reverse Nigeria’s inclusion on the red list and charged the administration to remain firm in the enforcement of necessary protocols in the containment of every COVID-19 variant in Nigeria.

The resolutions were reached by the Senate sequel to the consideration of a motion on the, “Need for Government of the United Kingdom to remove Nigeria from COVID-19 Red List,” sponsored by the former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu (Enugu West). Coming under order 42 and 52 of the Senate Rules, Ekweremadu noted with satisfaction the efforts of the Government of Nigeria in the containment and treatment of COVID-19 cases.

In a major rejection of the British move, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin Welby, last week, condemned Nigeria’s red-listing saying it was “travel apartheid” and calling for its scrapping.

In series of tweets on his Twitter handle,@JustinWelby, the Archbishop of Canterbury urged the UK government to abolish what he described as the “morally wrong and self-defeating” red list. “With #Omicron set to become the dominant variant in the UK, I appeal to the British government to remove Nigeria and South Africa from the red list – together with all other countries currently on it. We must find fair and effective approaches for those who are vaccinated and tested to enter the UK. I agree with the Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK – we cannot have ‘travel apartheid’”.

The United Nations Secretary General also last week described the action of the UK government as travel apartheid targeted at poor nations.

However, the UK is insisting on its course of action while pushing some clarifications. The UK High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, defended the travel ban on Nigeria, insisting that the move was based on science and not discriminatory.

Laing told a national television in a monitored interview last week that, “I think I can say comfortably, it is not [discriminatory]. When the UK was the epicentre of the Alpha variant, we took some very tough measures ourselves to essentially cut ourselves off and we banned all but essential travels from the UK. So, that was a very tough decision for us.

“The UK has been red-listed in earlier stages of these variants; I think when the Delta variant took off, we were red-listed by Austria and by France and Turkey. We have not just red-listed, in the first, African countries. So, Pakistan was red-listed, Turkey was red-listed by the UK when we had our previous red-list. So, it is based on an individual deep-diving assessment of each country.”

According to her, the British Government is aware of the reactions and condemnation from across the world following the move but maintained that the development will not push them to reverse the ban. “The reactions have been loud and clear but I don’t want to suggest to anybody that that would change the basis of the decision because that health basis has to be the basis on which the decision has to be made,” she added.

Despite the travel ban, the British envoy explained that the government would work closely with the Nigerian authorities as the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. She noted that the decision will be reviewed at the three-week review point on December 20.

Opening another front of potential diplomatic friction, a little over 48 hours ago, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia slammed its doors against Nigeria as it suspended all flight operations coming from Nigeria into the kingdom over outbreak of the Omicron variant.

An official statement issued by Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) directed to all airports and private aviation operators in the Kingdom ordered suspension of all flight coming “directly or indirectly” from Nigeria.

Incidentally, Saudi came with the restriction order barely seven days after the country recorded her index case of Omicron from a passenger returning from North Africa into the country.

The statement said: “The Kingdom is suspending all incoming flights and entry for non-nationals coming directly or indirectly from Nigeria, except those who have spent a period of not less than 14 days in another country from which they are allowed to come.

“Home quarantine will be applied for a period of five days to Saudi citizens coming from the mentioned country, provided PCR examination on the first day and the fifth day, regardless of immunisation status, turns negative.”

In all, UK’s bare-faced discriminatory footing is being appropriately engaged at the needful levels and a logical and fair resolution is imperative as the planet manages the latest virus strain.