We ’ll Retaliate If… Nigeria Warns S’Africa

The Federal Government, has warned South Africa against the humiliation of Nigerians travelling to the country or face retaliation.

The warning, handed down to South Africa on Monday in Abuja is coming on the heels of the detention and deportation of Nigerians who had sought to enter South Africa last Friday but whose Yellow Fever vaccination cards were suspected to be fake.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, handed down the warning to South Africa’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Kingsley Mambolo.

The Ministry said in a statement on Monday, “of particular concern to the Government was the unwarranted detention of a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the South African Port Health and Immigration Authorities for 48 hours at the Oliver R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

“The Permanent Secretary informed the High Commissioner that South Africans travelling to Nigeria, or those residing in Nigeria were not required to produce any evidence of vaccination against Yellow Fever, or for that matter against Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, both of which are prevalent in South Africa.”

The Permanent Secretary wondered whether the latest deportation and similar acts targeted at maltreating Nigerians in South Africa reflected the official position of the Government of South Africa.

Mambolo said the  policy was not aimed at Nigerians alone and that Nigerians were not being targeted.

He was quoted in the statement to have said, “he maintained that it was a general requirement for all passengers coming into the country from what he called the ‘Yellow Fever Belt’, which included many West African countries.

“He especially expressed regrets about the treatment of the Senator and assured that the matter would be taken up with his Government immediately.”

The Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, on Monday further drove home the point about the Federal Government taking retaliatory measures.

Briefing State House correspondents on the issue, Moro said the actions would be inevitable if the Nigerian Government finds out that the South African Government had not acted in good faith.

He said that the government would demand for an apology and punishment for the officials who carried out the deportation order from the South African Government.

According to him, the government will do everything possible to get to the root of the problem.

He attributed the cause of the diplomatic row to the South African Police and Immigration whom, he said, had hatred for Nigerians.

“Officials in the Immigration Department are unfriendly to Nigerian travellers,’’ he said.

Ashiru regretted that the South African police randomly arrested Nigerians without just cause.

He said that the brotherly love existing between the leadership of the two countries was lacking among the nationals of the two countries.

Ashiru informed the committee that the Nigerian High Commissioner in that country had been directed to make a strong protest to the South African Government.

He said that the problem would top Nigeria’s agenda at the forthcoming biennial conference.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government said that the recent deportation of 125 Nigerian travellers by South African authorities contravened the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, stated this at a news conference on the International Certificate for Vaccination against Yellow Fever in Abuja.Chukwu described the South African action as an embarrassment to Nigeria.

It will be recalled that some 125 Nigerian travellers were last Friday deported from South Africa for allegedly being in possession of fake Yellow Fever certificates.

According to the minister, no country had so far written a formal report on fake Yellow Fever card to the Nigerian government.

Chukwu said it was curious that a country that had issued entry visas to intending travellers on the presentation of a valid Yellow Card would then turn around to deport same travellers.

“So far, no country, no individual, has made any report to the Ministry on the possession of fake Yellow Card by any one. If there are such cases, the Ministry would like to have reports for necessary investigation.

“It is obviously very curious that a country that had issued entry visas to intending travellers which issuance was in the first instance predicated on the presentation of a valid Yellow Card, will then turn around at the point of entry to deport those travellers.

“If those travellers had fake Yellow Cards, the question will then be how come they possessed valid visas.

Chukwu stressed that Nigeria had no Yellow Fever prevalence and as such its citizens should not have been subjected to such an action from the South African Government.

The minister said that the last confirmed cases of Yellow Fever in Nigeria was in 1995 when 25 cases and one death were recorded.

“The International Certificate of Vaccination or prophylaxis commonly known as Yellow Card has three diseases (Cholera, Yellow Fever and Smallpox: IHR 1969).

The minister added that the international certificate of vaccination or re-vaccination against Yellow Fever was valid only if the vaccine used had been approved by WHO.

“The validity of the Yellow Card extends for a period of 10 years beginning 10 days after the date of vaccination or in the event of a revaccination, 10 years from the date of the revaccination.

“Some countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe, India and Saudi Arabia require that Nigerians coming into their country produce evidence of vaccination against Yellow Fever.

He, therefore, advised Nigerians seeking to travel outside Nigeria to do the right thing by receiving the necessary vaccinations and report to the Federal Ministry of Health where the authenticity of the Yellow Cards given to them can be verified.

Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi making a speech during the thanksgiving service in honour of Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Chris Oboh at Amazing Grace Parish, Redeemed Christian Church of God, in Port Harcourt, yesterday.