COVID-19: Nigeria not among countries red listed by UK, says FG

The federal government has asked Nigerian travelers not to be scared of being subjected to “unnecessary” COVID-19 protocols/restrictions as a result of COVID-19 vaccination.

The executive director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib insisted that Nigeria is not red-listed by the UK while addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, October 5.

According to NPHCDA executive director, UK is doing its routine assessment to strengthen its borders and health of its people, hence some stringent measures to achieve its objectives and that travelers should disregard the media reports that the UK government did not recognize the COVID-19 vaccination process in Nigeria.

He said: “I would like to comment on the UK Government’s statement which was released on Monday. I can confirm that Nigeria’s status has not changed. Nigeria is not among the red listed countries that need to mandatory quarantine for 14 days in a supervised UK facility.

“The statement released by the UK Government is in line with the press statement released last week that Nigerians will continue to isolate upon arrival in UK. This is similar to our requirement to have travellers from the UK isolate for seven days upon arrival in Nigeria.

“However, the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) is in the process of reviewing these requirements. We have been in touch with the UK Government. Just like they stated clearly in their communication, the current listing of countries with approved vaccination certification has just started in the UK. They are reviewing the country’s programs in phases.

“If you go through the list of 50 countries closely, no African country made the list. The UK Government is yet to comprehensively review Nigeria’s vaccination certification program.

“From my communication with the UK Government officials, the vaccines administered in Nigeria are approved by the UK Government. They are also involved with the vaccination program in Nigeria through the Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) and they are optimistic that by the time Nigeria’s COVID-19 vaccination program certification is assessed, it will be approved.

“There are many countries in the World, so we, like many other countries, are in the queue for this assessment. Once it gets to our turn, we are more likely than not to get approved in the coming weeks. Like the UK Government have clearly stated, the process of assessment would occur in phases.”