Nigeria has strike back at the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia following flight restriction on the country as a result of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.
In an announcement by the Minister of Aviation, Capt. Hadi Sirika on Sunday, with effect from Tuesday, Dec. 14, the Federal Government will restrict airlines coming from Canada, United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia into Nigeria.
He said the decision was to reciprocate restricted flights from Nigeria into those countries over the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.
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Sirika said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration would also place the United Kingdom, Canada and Saudi Arabia on a red list over the outbreak and spread of the Omicron variant.
The minister noted that if those countries placed Nigeria on a red list, they lacked a moral right to have their airlines fly into Nigeria on commercial operations.
“There is also the case of Saudi Arabia that put Nigeria on the ban list. On Sunday, I participated in a meeting with the COVID-19 task force.