Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Home Business & Economy FG restricts airlines from UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia in reciprocity over Omicron...

FG restricts airlines from UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia in reciprocity over Omicron COVID-19

With effect from Tuesday, Dec. 14, the Federal Government will restrict airlines coming from Canada, United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia into Nigeria.

Minister of Aviation, Capt. Hadi Sirika, announced the decision on Sunday in Lagos and explained that it was to reciprocate restricted flights from Nigeria into those countries over the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.

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.

“We have given our input that it is not acceptable by us and we recommended that those Canada, the UK, Saudi Arabia and Argentina also be put on the red list.

“As they did to us, if they do not allow our citizens into their countries; who are they coming, as airlines, to pick from our country?

“They are not supposed to come in. I am very sure in the next three days; Monday or Tuesday, all those countries will be put on the red list of COVID-19,’’ the minister said.

He stressed that airlines of the affected countries remained banned and the countries placed on Nigeria’s red list.

Sirika apologised to Nigerians intending to travel to those countries, but said Nigerian government’s decision was in the interest of the country.

RELATED ARTICLES

Network Disruption Weakens POS Transactions, Businesses in Kano

By Khadija Umar Tambuwal Residents and small-scale business operators in Kano have continued to lament the persistent poor network services, especially those running Point of...

The Beauty of Fashion

By Asmau Muhammad saidu Fashion is more than just clothing it is a cultural and social force that reflects identity, creativity, and societal values. Throughout...

Nigeria donates 100,000 cashew seeds, 2,000 seedlings to Ethiopia

The Nigerian Government has donated 100,000 cashew seeds and 2,000 cashew seedlings to Ethiopia. Mr Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media...

Most Popular

Court Dismisses Suit Seeking to Stop ICPC from Probing Bauchi Security Votes

A Bauchi State High Court has dismissed a suit seeking to bar the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) from investigating...

Why Memes Have Become a Universal Language Among Gen-Z

By Abubakar Muhammad Hamza For many young people today, memes have...

Court Upholds ICPC’s Powers in Kano Scholarship Case

A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Abuja has upheld the powers of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)...

IPI raises alarm over rising media repression in Nigeria

The International Press Institute (IPI), a global body committed to protecting press freedom and the free flow of information, has raised concern over the...

Recent Comments

// DEBUG: Processing site: https://hamadatimes.com // DEBUG: Panos response HTTP code: 200
Warning: session_start(): open(/var/lib/lsphp/session/lsphp82/sess_2erc051gfoqa0ni45foh7rumk9, O_RDWR) failed: No space left on device (28) in /home/w3l.icu/public_html/panos/config/config.php on line 143

Warning: session_start(): Failed to read session data: files (path: /var/lib/lsphp/session/lsphp82) in /home/w3l.icu/public_html/panos/config/config.php on line 143
ilbet yeni giriş ilbet yeni giriş ilbet yeni giriş ilbet yeni giriş ilbet yeni giriş ilbet yeni giriş ilbet yeni giriş ilbet yeni giriş ilbet yeni giriş ilbet yeni giriş