FG investigates alleged extortion of in-bound travellers at airports
By Tobi Adetunji
The federal government has revealed that it’s investigating alleged extortion and fraudulent activities of in-bound travellers at various international airports in the country.
The PSC Chairman, Boss Mustapha made this known when commenting on various challenges experienced by inbound travellers in recent time.
He said the committee had taken note of the challenges inbound travellers are facing on the travel portal.
According to him, “The PSC has taken note of the challenges raised by travellers that visit the National International Travel Portal in compliance with travel protocols
“It has similarly noted with dismay, fraudulent activities perpetuated at our international airports by on-duty staff, who extort money out of those who equally wish to evade quarantine requirements.
“The authorities are conducting necessary investigations into various reports received.”
He also disclosed that over 3.5 million doses of Pfizer were still being expected from the United States this month and about four million doses of Astrazeneca early next month.
Mustapha added that the country would be receiving over one million doses of J&J shipments on a monthly basis, saying the PSC is committed to access enough vaccines for the 70 percent eligible persons in the country in record time.
On the United Kingdom advisory on COVID-19 vaccines and changes to International Travel Rules, he stressed that the British High Commissioner to Nigeria has stated that the UK government supports the vaccination programme in the country with vaccines irrespective of where they were manufactured.
The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, said as of September 26, a total of 4,734,769 eligible people in Nigeria have received their first dose of COVID vaccine which comprises of 3,040,000 with first dose AstraZeneca and 1,694,769 with the first dose of Moderna.
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said taking the COVID-19 vaccine was a matter of civil duty.
According to him, over 90 per cent of the fatalities around the world were those who did not take the vaccine.
In the same vein, The Federal Government has sent delegations to six states to work with the governments to develop frameworks for the enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions in the affected states.
The Head of Technical Secretariat, Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, Dr. Mukhtar Muhammad, spoke the delegations at the committee’s national briefing in Abuja earlier in the week.
Although he said six states were affected, Muhammad only listed four states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Muhammad said, “Despite the vaccination effort going on in the country, our vaccination level has been very low and therefore the infection would continue to be transmitted if we do not take the right measures.
“It is for this reason that the PSC has set up delegations to six states to work with the state government to develop a framework for COVID-19 restrictions.
“The states are Lagos, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, FCT and Kano. The team is going to work for the next two weeks. Our COVID-19 protocol still remains in place.”
