BY AUGUSTINE AVWODE
The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday condemned the United Kingdom’s inclusion of Nigeria in its COVID-19 red list without justification.
The chamber, accordingly, called on the British authorities to consider removing Nigeria from the red list.
It advised the UK government to be sensitive to the diplomatic relationship between both countries when taking decision that affect Nigerian citizens.
The Senate urged the Federal Government to engage the British authorities to reverse Nigeria’s inclusion on the red list.
It also charged the administration to remain firm in the enforcement of necessary protocols in the containment of every COVID-19 variant in Nigeria.
It further called on major vaccines powers, namely, Britain, Canada, America, and the European Union, among others, to take urgent and bold steps to ensure vaccine equity in the interest of the entire human race.
These were resolutions reached by the chamber following the consideration of a motion on the “Need for Government of the United Kingdom to remove Nigeria from COVID-19 Red List.”
The motion was sponsored by Senator Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, 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.
He said, “Nigeria is among the countries with the lowest cases of COVID-19.
“The decision by the British Government to include Nigeria in their COVID-19 list, with its concomitant implications, will affect many citizens of Nigeria, who had planned to spend their Christmas and New Year holiday with their families.
“Also worried that Nigerians with genuine needs to visit the U.K within this period will be denied visa and those with visa will not be allowed to enter the U.K.”
The lawmaker noted that Nigerians have consistently complied with all the COVID-19 protocols required by the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.K Government for travelers prior to the ban.
He emphasized that, “targeting African countries, especially in the COVID-19 travel ban, amounts to profiling and discrimination as well as an attack on our cordial diplomatic relationship with the U.K.”
Ekweremadu drew the attention of the chamber to global concerns over vaccines hoarding and inequity and the resulting consequences on low-income nations in the fight against COVID-19.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said that the decision to include Nigeria on the UK COVID-19 red list poses a strain on the diplomatic relationship between both countries.
He bemoaned the poor treatment of Nigeria by the UK government.
Lawan, therefore, called on the British Parliament to intervene with a view to having Nigeria removed from the country’s COVID-19 red list.
In his words, “Let there be justification for it. We are not saying that they cannot put any country on the red list, including Nigeria, but there must be reasons for doing that.
“[And] of course, Nigeria has done so well to the admiration of many countries in the area of containment of COVID-19.
“Therefore, we don’t see any reason why Nigeria will be on that so called red list.
“I believe that Nigerians deserve better treatment from the British government.
“I’m using this opportunity to ask the British Parliament to mount pressure on their government to remove Nigeria from the so called red list.” Lawan said.
