The Federal Government on Sunday decried the deportation of 125 Nigerian travellers from South Africa for allegedly being in possession of fake Yellow Fever Certificates.
The Nigerians were deported from South Africa on Friday.
Reacting to the development in an interview in Abuja, Foreign Affairs Minister Olugbenga Ashiru said that the South African High Commission in Nigeria had verified the certificates before issuing visas from their Lagos and Abuja offices to the travellers.
Ashiru also said that Nigeria had been certified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a Yellow Fever free nation and as such he did not see any reason why the South African Immigration Services turned back the travellers.
“That is why countries in Europe and the U.S. do not demand Yellow Fever cards from Nigerian travellers; it is only South Africa, and a few countries in the Southern Hemisphere who demand Yellow Fever card from travellers.”
Meanwhile, Ashiru has directed the Nigerian High Commissioner in South Africa to lodge a formal protest over the action of South African immigration officials.
“Nigeria will handle the matter in a matured way; however, it must be stressed that South African immigration officials do not have the monopoly of harassing travellers coming into their country.”
However, Nigeria and South Africa in 2001 established a Bi-National Commission to, among other issues, promote trade and investment, and easy visa process.
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