LAGOS / ABUJA – Reports emanating from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, by Independent NG indicate that no fewer than 26 Americans on Monday morning arrived the country through the airport without the necessary medical screening despite the rapid spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the country. A source close to the terminal, confided in our correspondent that the Americans, mostly male, arrived the country on a chartered flight, Air X Charter LTD/9H-BIG/AXY2929/A 343 at 07:29hrs and headed to Calabar from the airport. It was further gathered that the Americans were allegedly clients of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The Americans arrived the terminal hall through the Echo arrival terminal (E-arrival) and were said to be “crude oil expatriates” bound for Calabar for an oil/ petroleum project. It was learnt that an unnamed local airline flew the Americans to Calabar and might be isolated for 14 days. But, at the Lagos airport, our correspondent gathered that there was no official of the Port Health Service on ground to check their body temperature and other necessary medicals to know their health status, but it was learnt that the flight got the approval of Sen. Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation. Some of the airport workers at the Lagos airport, however, expressed concern on why the Americans were allowed to enter the country despite the flight not necessarily among the essential or cargo flights approved by the government.
One of the sources lamented that while the Federal Government had announced the total lockdown of Lagos, Abuja and Ogun, some foreigners not tagged essential were still allowed to fly into the country.
The source said: “I think this is very unfortunate. How can you allow foreigners to enter the country without going through the usual test screening despite the high rate of COVID-19 in the country?
“Someone said the Americans would be isolated in Calabar for 14 days. I don’t think that is enough excuse for them to pass through the Lagos airport without screening at the airport. I just hope everyone is save in this country because some people have exhibited selfishness in their approach.”
It would be recalled that America is battling to overcome the deadly virus with high number of deaths recorded daily in the North American country, while new cases are daily recorded.
Meanwhile, some European countries are evacuating their citizens from Nigeria because of the high rate of the virus in the country.
For instance, Air France last Thursday evacuated 378 European nationals from Nigeria through the Lagos airport, while Air Peace on Friday operated a charter flight to Israel with Israeli nationals who left the country.
