Vanguard News
Covid 19 protocols: Prosecute NSITF, etc. now
On
By Tonnie Iredia
When the Covid 19 pandemic broke a little over a year ago, many had feared the spread would be hard to contain especially in developing societies such as Nigeria with weak public enlightenment arrangements. Activities which followed the outbreak confirmed such fears as many citizens behaved as though they neither heard nor understood various admonitions for people to avoid the risk of being infected.
There are still many households and individuals in Nigeria today who have remained cynical of the declarations of scientists and relevant organizations about the pandemic. The posture of disbelief in Nigeria and perhaps elsewhere in Africa was greatly increased by the fact that infections and deaths in the continent were relatively low compared to the devastating effects the pandemic has had on Europe and America. Perhaps it was indeed, a white-man’s disease, some analysts imagined.
Eddy Odivwri
One of the wise sayings my village people used to write at their door posts was/is:
“If Men Were God…” Growing up, the saying did not make much sense to me until latter years.
But its import is becoming clearer and clearer. Indeed, if men were God, life would have long been on a cash-and-carry basis, and it would have been a game exclusively for the rich and powerful.
In recent weeks, I have read and watched how “powerful, rich and influential” Nigerians have been dazzling us with the tales of having been vaccinated in “the abroad”, leaving us, lesser mortals, to depend on the shifty promises of vaccine for Nigerians.
COVID-19: Abia Govt bans public gatherings - National Accord Newspaper nationalaccordnewspaper.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationalaccordnewspaper.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
This means that transit flights with Nigerians on board from any other part of the globe, are not permitted to fly into the UAE.
Daily Trust reports that the new protocols have barred other airlines from carrying Nigerians to Dubai. However, Nigeria’s airline, Air Peace, which resumes its Dubai-Sharjar flight on Friday, February 5, is not affected.
In a reaction to this development, the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has urged the federal government to intervene over the new travel protocols. President of NANTA, Mrs. Susan Akporiaye said the development could “put additional financial pressures.
“We are studying the situation and consulting widely as the new travel restrictions may put additional financial pressures on Nigerian passengers and also create a monopolistic hold on the route.”