Victor Ezeja…Urge WHO To Set Uniform Standards
Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) has condemned the inclusion of Nigeria in the list of travel ban by United Kingdom and Canada following the outbreak of Omicron variant of COVID-19 virus dsease recently.
Three cases of the Omicron variant of the virus has been so far detected in Nigeria this month.
The NGF chairman and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, in a statement, described the action as unfair and discriminatory, noting that there are some countries with worst recorded cases of the omicron virus than Nigeria but were not banned from entry into UK and Canada.
The NGF called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to set uniform standards and protocols acceptable to all for Covid-19 restrictions and measures across the world.
The forum wondered why such actions should be taken now even when the Omicron variant is relatively unknown globally and still unclear about its mode of transmission when compared to other varaints that emerged earlier.
The NGF said, “It is very discouraging to note that there are several countries that have reported cases of Omicron similar to or higher than Nigeria’s, that have not been banned from entry into the UK and or Canada.
“Confirmed Omicron cases as at December 3rd, across some countries are: Nigeria (3 ); Australia (7); Brazil (3); Germany (9) Israel (4); Italy (9) and Netherlands(16). There is also no evidence that harsh, blanket travel bans will protect the countries that impose them.
“It is ironical that this ban comes at a time when the DG of the WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus, has advised that “rational proportional risk reduction measures” be taken by countries such as screening passengers prior to departure and or upon arrival in a country, or enforcing a quarantine period.
“The NGF, therefore, urges the WHO to intervene in this matter by setting uniform standards that are acceptable to all for banning countries across the globe.
“As we know, vaccine hesitancy is quite high and for many reasons including disruptive announcements like this which could exacerbate distrust of the vaccine and heighten hesitancy.
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“World leaders and stakeholders in the West need to remember that with the COVID-19 pandemic, until everyone is free, no one is free. Variants will continue to appear and spread across the globe as long as global herd immunity has not been achieved.
“We call on countries to be guided by science and fairness in setting the criteria for updating their red list. We encourage both public and private stakeholders to continue to support vaccination efforts and address hesitancy. We encourage Nigerians not to be discouraged and to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
“As a platform for the 36 democratically elected governors of the country, the NGF believes it reserves the right to speak for its people. Besides, the NGF was proactive and ahead in the Polio eradication program in Nigeria, in the country’s response to the Ebola virus, and lately in the response against the corona virus pandemic.
“Finally, health is one of the core mandate areas of the NGF and has remained an item on its meeting agenda in the past several months.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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