Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has lambasted the United Kingdom (UK) for imposing travel restriction on Nigerians as a result of COVID-19 and its associated variants.
Fani-Kayode, in a post on his Instagram page, said to say that the travel ban imposed on Nigerians by the UK is “travel apartheid” is putting it mildly.
According to Fani-Kayode, “It is far worse than that: it is racist, discriminatory, wicked, unacceptable, self-serving, vile, sinister, selective, vicious, provocative and unacceptable.”
Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Culture and Tourism, however said Nigeria should reciprocate the gesture.
“We should reciprocate the gesture,” Fani-Kayode said.
Recall that the British High Commission, Abuja, had on Sunday, announced the suspension of visitor visa applications in all UK’s red list countries, including Nigeria, until travel restrictions are lifted.
The British High Commission said the decision was to support the UK Government’s aim to protect public health from COVID-19 and associated variants of concern (VOC).
Other countries on the red list were Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and Namibia.
Also commenting on the visa restriction, a former senator representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Ben Murray-Bruce, said the restriction was as a result of COVID-19 vaccination.
Murray-Bruce, in a post on his Facebook page, said: “The reason they are banning Nigeria is that less than five percent are vaccinated and that being the case, the discussion shouldn’t be about restrictions, but rather a push for vaccine equity. Therefore, I am asking the British, Americans and vaccine producing nations to make more vaccines available to Nigeria. If we are all vaccinated, they’d be no need for a ban.”
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