UK Archbishop condemns Nigeria’s red list, calls it travel apartheid

President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s clear-minded friend and Archbishop of Canterbury, Rev. Justin Welby, has urged the United Kingdom government to remove Nigeria and other countries from its red list, describing the act as travel apartheid, the Church Times reports from London.

The pure-hearted British cleric condemned the inclusion of Nigeria saying there should be alternative to travel apartheid at this stage of the world.

There has been outrage over the inclusion of Nigeria, South Africa and other African countries on the British red list over the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday, the Archbishop said the UK should avoid ‘travel apartheid’, echoing the words of the Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, who is of the opinion that it is not right considering that many developed countries have been reported to have cases of Omicron but are not included on the red list issued by Number 10 Downing Street, the official residence and executive office of the First Lord of the Treasury, usually also the Prime Minister.

Archbishop Welby wrote, “With Omicron set to become the dominant variant in the UK, I appeal to the British government to remove Nigeria and South Africa from the red list – together with all other countries currently on it.

“We must find fair and effective approaches for those who are vaccinated and tested to enter the UK. I agree with the Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK – we cannot have ‘travel apartheid’.”

Welby also stated that it was morally wrong to punish countries that are transparent with their discoveries regarding COVID-19.

He, however, canvassed for vaccine equity and condemned the hoarding of doses urging for cooperation to get vaccines to countries that need it the most.

“It is also morally wrong – and self-defeating – effectively to punish other nations for being transparent when they discover new Covid variants, as Archbishop of Cape Town (Thabo Makgoba) has said.

“The only route out of this pandemic is vaccine equity. We must end vaccine nationalism and stockpiling. We must get vaccines distributed in countries that need them the most. The choice is vaccine nationalism or human solidarity,” the Archbishop added.