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Tag: Travel Ban

  • COVID-19: UK places travel ban on 11 African countries

    COVID-19: UK places travel ban on 11 African countries

    The United Kingdom has extended the ban on travellers entering England to 11 African countries in a bid to prevent the spread of a new COVID-19 variant identified in South Africa.

    This was contained in a press statement titled, ‘Travel restrictions update: South Africa ban extended, Israel (and Jerusalem)’ on the UK’s government website.

    It stated that the restriction will take effect on Saturday and remain in place for two weeks.

    Recall that the UK had on December 23, 2020, imposed a travel ban on South Africa.

    Part of the statement read, “Entry into England will be banned to those who have travelled from or through any southern African country in the last 10 days, including Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique and Angola – as well as Seychelles and Mauritius.

    “This does not include British and Irish Nationals, longer-term visa holders and permanent residents, who will be able to enter but are required to self-isolate for 10 days on arrival along with their household.

  • COVID-19: NIS will implement FG’s directive on travel ban – CG

    COVID-19: NIS will implement FG’s directive on travel ban – CG

    The Controller-General (CG), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mr Muhammed Babandede, has said the Service will implement Federal Government’s directive on travel ban for passengers who fail to carry out day-7 COVID-19 test.

    Babandede stated this at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) briefing on COVID-19 on Tuesday in Abuja.

    ”It is clear to everybody that the future of travels is health.

    ”The next visa for global travel is health especially the COVID-19 certificate.

    ”I can assure you that you may not be able to cross Nigerian borders without the vaccine certificate or your COVID-19 test.

    “Also, it is our duty to implement the directive of Mr President, the powers are enshrined in the Immigration Act, the Constitution and from the regulation for COVID-19.

    “The powers are there to restrict the person that has refused to comply with any regulation.

    “This is because lack of compliance to COVID-19 regulations is a threat to public health,” he said.

    According to him, public health is a big issue in the country and so, based on that directive, we have complied by blocking 100 passports from traveling.

    Badandede said this meant that even if they went to police and declared those passports missing, they would not be reissued anywhere in the world.

    He said that they would not also cross our national borders until the period of six months or communication received from the right authorities stating that they had compiled.

    ”This will also include non-Nigerians; we have the powers to revoke visas, even the Controller-General has the power to revoke visas.

    “So, based on the powers given and additional condition for entering Nigeria today, you must have COVID-19 test result, we will make you to comply.

    ”You must have evidence of payment. If you do the test it means you have complied.

    “If you have not done the test it means you have violated the condition of entering the country; your visa will be revoked,” he said.

    Badandede said that he wanted to assure Nigerians that immigration was implementing the directives.

    He added that he had started receiving calls from those whose passports numbers were published.

    He said he told them that there was no problem, adding that he told them also that he didn’t put their numbers there but that they violated the protocols.

    Badandede said that he advised them to go back to the health sector and make sure they complied.

    “You see Nigerians are wonderful, they refused to do the tests; but after over a month of returning to the country now they are calling to say they want to travel as their children are returning to school.

    ”Please comply; immigration has no business with anybody; we are implementing the directives handed down to us.”

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the Presidential Task Force (PTF) recently released and published passport numbers of 100 Nigerians who failed to carry out the day-7 COVID-19 test after they returned from their foreign trips. They were placed on a six-month travel ban.

  • COVID-19: Why we soft-pedal on travel ban – FG

    COVID-19: Why we soft-pedal on travel ban – FG

    The Federal Government says it has not imposed travel ban, particularly to and from UK, over the mutated strain of COVID-19.

    The government said it will require the concurrence of neighbouring countries for the ban to be effective.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this when he featured on a Radio Nigeria programme, “Politics Nationwide’’ on Tuesday in Abuja.

    During the programme monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mohammed said, ”although the government is concerned over importation of the COVID-19 new strain, it did not want to take a hasty decision”.

    He said the Presidential Committee on COVID-19 deliberated on the issue at its meeting on Monday and decided to watch the development for the time being.

    He said they are working with West African Health Organisations and other neighbouring countries, particularly, Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana.

    “We did not want to take a hasty decision to ban flight from the UK into Nigeria only to find out our people are going through Cotonou, Lome or Accra to come into the country.

    “What the Airlines will do is to transfer Nigerian passengers to these routes and they will enter the country through the land borders.

    “This will lead into hardship to Nigerians because if you transfer your economy to other countries you lose a lot of money

    “However, if we get the concurrence of these other countries, we will not hesitate to do the needful.

    “We are consulting and being very careful in order to take a proper decision,’’ he said.

    It would be recalled that the minister gave the hint on Monday that the Federal Government might impose travel ban to and from certain parts of the world into the country.

    Mohammed, a member of PTF, had said at a Special NAN Forum that the government was concerned about the new strain of COVID-19, manifesting itself in the UK that is the mutated strain.

    “It is difficult to detect, it spreads faster and people have been known to die of it within a very short period of its detection.

    “This is a major concern to us as a country.

    “Why I did not want to pre-empt the PTF because we are meeting this afternoon, it is going to be top on the agenda of our discussions.

    “I will not be surprised if that will be the recommendation of the committee which is meeting later today,’’ he said.

    The minister noted that many European countries had banned flights into the UK and many imposed restrictions into that country.

  • FG mulls travel ban over new strain of COVID-19

    FG mulls travel ban over new strain of COVID-19

    Worried about the mutated strain of COVID-19 manifesting itself in the United Kingdom, the Federal Government says it may impose a travel ban to and from certain parts of the world.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a Special Forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    Mohammed, a member of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, said while the government appreciates the negative economic impact of another lockdown, it would not rule out restriction on movement to and from certain parts of the world.

    “We are more concerned about the new strain of COVID-19 which is manifesting itself in the UK; that is the mutated strain.

    “It is difficult to detect, it spreads faster and people have been known to die of it within a very short period of its detection.

    “This is a major concern to us as a country.

    “While I do not want to pre-empt the PTF because we are meeting this afternoon, it is going to be top on the agenda of our discussions.

    “I will not be surprised if that will be the recommendation of the committee which is meeting later today,’’ he said.

    The minister added: “This season, many students are coming from the UK in particular, to come and join their families in Nigeria.

    “Besides, many of our people, because of the traditional link we have with UK, may want to go there for business or family re-union.

    “It is a very testy time and it might be another dangerous period to transmit this new variant of COVID-19.”

    The minister noted that many European countries had banned flights to and from the UK.

    According to Mohammed, the Federal Government will not hesitate in giving the directive if it is the only way Nigerians can be protected from the agony of the new variant of COVID-19.

    Besides measures to prevent the importation of the new strain of COVID-19, the minister said government was worried about the spike in infections in the last couple of days.

    He enjoined Nigerians to comply with the advisory being regularly issued by the PTF, including the use of face mask, compliance with social distancing protocols and regular washing of hands with soap and water.

    The minister also urged Nigerians to refrain from local or international travels except if absolutely necessary.

  • Electoral fraud: Kogi Gov. Yahaya Bello writes letter of protest to US over inclusion of his name in visa ban list

    Electoral fraud: Kogi Gov. Yahaya Bello writes letter of protest to US over inclusion of his name in visa ban list

    The Kogi State Government has said it protested the visa ban imposed on its officials by the United States over alleged election compromise because the various courts in the land validated the election that brought in Governor Yahaya Bello.

    The US had included Kogi government officials, including the governor Yahaha Bello among those to be affected by the visa ban.

    Kogi has protested the ban in a letter to the Ambassador of the United States of America signed by the Secretary to the Government of Kogi State, Mrs Folashade Arike Ayoade.

    The letter is titled: “Re: Visa Restrictions On Individuals And Inclusion Of The 2019 Kogi State Gubernatorial Elections In US State Department List Of Allegedly Compromised Elections – A Letter Of Protest.”

    In the letter, the governor, Bello said Kogi State Government became aware of a United States Government list of individuals who received US visa restrictions for alleged electoral malpractices through a Press Statement to that effect posted on the US Embassy website.

    According to Bello, in the words of the US, the still-unnamed individuals were cited as guilty of ‘acts of violence, intimidation, or corruption that harmed Nigerians and undermined the democratic process’ and that they were also alleged to ‘have operated with impunity at the expense of the Nigerian people and undermined democratic principles and human rights.’

    He said the US also noted in the statement that the sanctions were derived from unspecified misconducts by the said individuals which extended from the February/March 2019 General Elections in Nigeria through the off-cycle November 2019 gubernatorial elections in Kogi and Bayelsa to the yet unheld governorship contests in Edo and Ondo States.

    READ ALSO Bello’s re-election will change Kogi’s fortunes – FCT Minister
    He urged the US to note that for the purposes of this protest letter the Kogi government was only interested in the citations to the extent that they were referable to Kogi State and her citizens.

    Bello said in the letter that for the most part, the government conceded that elections in Nigeria were complex affairs which would continue to require improvements for the foreseeable future and that the 2019 Kogi State Gubernatorial Election was also not without its challenges.

    However, the governor said it was crystal clear from critical and composite analyses of the records (official, media, observers, etc) of the November 16, 2019 polls that regrettable incidents were limited to a few polling units, while the overwhelmingly larger portions of the ballot were free, fair and credible.

    READ ALSO Kogi fingers external collaborators in Tawari attacks
    He said the political parties which alleged electoral malpractices went to court to contest the outcome of the polls and lost, as the court said the outcome of the polls were in line with the Nigerian constitution and the electoral act.

  • Road transport workers react as FG lifts interstate travel ban

    Road transport workers react as FG lifts interstate travel ban

    The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) has advised its members to comply with the guidelines on the prevention of the spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as the ban on interstate was lifted.

    Mr Osakpamwan Eriyo, Executive National President of RTEAN, who gave the advice on Tuesday in Abuja, said the ban had created a lot of hardship on its members.

    The Federal Government inmposed the ban on interstate travelling on May 4 to help curb the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

    While thanking the Federal Government for lifting the ban, the RTEAN boss, however advised its members to religiously adhere to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) guidelines on preventions.

    Eriyo commended members of the Union for obeying the directives of the PTF and warned that they adhered to the rule of 50 per cent capacity of the passengers to be carried by the vehicle.

    “We have also passed out instructions to our state Chairmen, unit Executives and park managers to ensure that every person on a journey should wear a face mark.

    “Maintaining of social or physical distancing, provision of water, soap and hand sanitizers in all parks and testing of temperature.

    “We sincerely thank the Chairman of PTF, Boss Mustapha, Secretary to Government of the Federation and President Mohammadu Buhari for approving the lifting of interstate ban.

    “Our members really suffered during this period. We play a crucial role in the Transport sub-sector, and we urge the Federal Government to also provide some palliatives for our members,” Eriyo told NAN.

  • COVID-19: Cleric advises public against violating inter-state travel ban

    COVID-19: Cleric advises public against violating inter-state travel ban

    A cleric, Pastor Dapo Isaac, has advised the people of Kwara against violating inter-state travel ban, saying that they should obey government’s directives to curb the spread of coronavirus in the state.
    Isaac, who is of Christ Kingdom Church, Ilorin, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday.
    He noted that despite the prohibition of inter-state movements by government to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country, many people were still violating the order by travelling from one state to another.
    According to the cleric, many people are not playing according to safety rules, as they still sneak in and out of states.
    “Some Nigerians are intentionally violating the inter-state travel ban and this is very dangerous, especially considering the present situation.
    “Some even prefer to travel in the night to escape security checks. The inter-state travel ban is for our own sake. We need to stop the habit and unite in fighting the deadly virus.
    “Security personnel must be at alert and strict in enforcing total compliance with the travel ban. Nobody will be safe, if we continue to violate the safety precautions, especially the travel ban.
    “Anybody caught should be thoroughly dealt with, to serve as deterrent to others.
    “This is time to bear the sacrifice by staying where we are and not trying to sneak out from Ilorin to Lagos or from Ibadan to Enugu and other places.
    “It is just for a while; everything will soon be back to normal and we shall win the battle,” he said.
    Isaac also advised the public to always use face masks and hand sanitiser and observe physical distancing to halt the spread of the global pandemic.

  • BREAKING: FG extends travel ban to two more countries

    BREAKING: FG extends travel ban to two more countries

    The Federal Government has added two more countries to the list of high-risk countries following the outbreak of coronavirus.

    The countries include Austria and Sweden.

    The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire made the announcement at a media briefing on Friday in Abuja.

    “We have identified two more high risks countries – Austria and Sweden which were added in the past 24 hours to the list,” Ehanire said.

    The Federal Government has earlier on Wednesday issued a travel ban on 13 countries over the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The affected countries are the United States of America, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Iran, Switzerland, Norway, Netherland, France, South Korea, Germany, Italy and Spain.

  • [BREAKING] COVID-19: FG imposes travel ban on US, UK, 11 other high risk countries

    The Federal Government has issued a travel ban on 13 countries as a new precautionary measure adopted to curtail the spread of Coronavirus(COVID-19).

    This was announced by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha at a media briefing on Wednesday.

    According to Boss Mustapha, the affected countries are the United State of America, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Iran, Switzerland, Norway, Netherland, France, South Korea, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

    TNG reports that the Federal Government had Tuesday night issued similar directives to government officials.

    More details later…

  • BREAKING: Nigeria imposes travel ban on USA, UK, China, other countries

    BREAKING: Nigeria imposes travel ban on USA, UK, China, other countries

    The Federal Government has issued a travel ban on 13 countries as a new precautionary measure adopted to curtail the spread of Coronavirus(COVID-19).

    This was announced by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha at a media briefing on Wednesday.

    According to Boss Mustapha, the affected countries are the United State of America, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Iran, Switzerland, Norway, Netherland, France, South Korea, Germany, Italy, and Spain.