Omicron: FG meets Saudi Arabian envoy, seeks reversal of travel ban

The federal government has asked the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to lift its travel ban on Nigeria.

Zubairu Dada, minister of state for foreign affairs, made the request when he met with Faisal bin Ibrahim Al-Ghamdi, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Nigeria.

In the wake of the outbreak of the Omicron COVID variant, Saudi Arabia had, in December, suspended all flights from Nigeria.

Speaking on the development, the minister noted that many countries that had earlier banned Nigeria had since reversed their positions after studying the achievements of Nigeria in containing the pandemic.

He appealed to the Saudi Arabian government to urgently review the travel restrictions it placed on Nigerians intending to visit the country due to the Omicron outbreak.

“Nigeria has understood fully the reason for the ban by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia was for the best interest of its citizens,” a statement issued on Saturday by Ibrahim Aliyu, media aide to Dada, quoted him as saying

“But the steps taken so far by Nigerian authorities to curtail the spread of the Omicron variant have made it possible for many countries to consider Nigeria as safe, removing Nigeria from the blacklisted countries.”

While expressing optimism for a timely response to Nigeria’s request from Saudi Arabia, the minister also pledged to continue to give every necessary support to the envoy.

In his response, Al-Ghamdi expressed satisfaction with the effort that the government is making to contain the spread of Omicron and promised to convey Nigeria’s message to the relevant authorities in Saudi Arabia.