The Senate has called Nigeria’s inclusion on the British government’s Red List of countries unjustified.

On Saturday, the United Kingdom placed travel restrictions on flights coming from Nigeria, with the Secretary of State for Health, Sajid Javid, stating that only UK/Irish citizens and resident permit holders would be allowed into the country.

UGAMATV had reported that the restriction would begin on Monday, December 6th.

The Senate, however, in a motion moved by Senator Ike Ekweremadu titled, ‘Need for Government of the United Kingdom to remove Nigeria from COVID-19 Red List’ agreed that Nigeria’s addition to the list was without justification.

In a statement the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, called on the British Parliament to put pressure on the government to consider removing Nigeria from its red list.

Lawan is quoted as saying, “Let there be justification for it. We are not saying that they cannot put any country on the red list, including Nigeria, but there must be reasons for doing that.

“[And] of course, Nigeria has done so well to the admiration of many countries in the area of containment of COVID-19. Therefore, we don’t see any reason why Nigeria will be on that so-called red list.

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“I believe that Nigerians deserve better treatment from the British government. I’m using this opportunity to ask the British Parliament to mount pressure on their government to remove Nigeria from the so called red list.”

Sen. Ekweremadu, on the other hand, stated that the travel restrictions targeted African countries which amount to profiling and discrimination.

He added that the travel restriction poses a strain on the diplomatic relations between both countries stating that it was “targeting African countries, especially in the COVID-19 travel ban, amounts to profiling and discrimination as well as an attack on our cordial diplomatic relationship with the U.K.”