The federal authorities says it has not imposed journey ban, significantly to and from UK, over the mutated pressure of COVID-19.
The federal government mentioned it would require the concurrence of neighbouring international locations for the ban to be efficient.
The Minister of Info and Tradition, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this when he featured on a Radio Nigeria programme, “Politics Nationwide” yesterday in Abuja.
Throughout the programme monitored by the Information Company of Nigeria (NAN), Mohammed mentioned, “Though the federal government is worried over importation of the COVID-19 new pressure, it didn’t need to take a hasty choice”.
He mentioned the Presidential Committee on COVID-19 deliberated on the difficulty at its assembly on Monday and determined to observe the event in the meanwhile.
He mentioned the federal government was working with West African Well being Organisations and different neighbouring international locations, significantly, Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana.
“We didn’t need to take a hasty choice to ban flight from the UK into Nigeria solely to search out out our persons are going by means of Cotonou, Lome or Accra to return into the nation.
“What the Airways will do is to switch Nigerian passengers to those routes and they’re going to enter the nation by means of the land borders.
“This may lead into hardship to Nigerians as a result of should you switch your economic system to different international locations you lose some huge cash
“Nonetheless, if we get the concurrence of those different international locations, we is not going to hesitate to do the needful.
“We’re consulting and being very cautious in an effort to take a correct choice,” he mentioned.
It might be recalled that the minister gave the trace on Monday that the Federal Authorities would possibly impose journey ban to and from sure components of the world into the nation.
Mohammed, a member of PTF, had mentioned at a Particular NAN Discussion board that the federal government was involved in regards to the new pressure of COVID-19, manifesting itself within the UK that’s the mutated pressure.
“It’s tough to detect, it spreads sooner and folks have been identified to die of it inside a really brief interval of its detection.
“This can be a main concern to us as a rustic.
“Why I didn’t need to pre-empt the PTF as a result of we’re assembly this afternoon, it’ll be high on the agenda of our discussions.
“I cannot be shocked if that would be the suggestion of the committee which is assembly later at present,” he mentioned.
The minister famous that many European international locations had banned flights into the UK and lots of imposed restrictions into that nation. (NAN)