The Nigerian government has kicked against a recent travel advisory issued by the US and UK warning their citizens against travelling to certain parts of Nigeria, noting that the advisory was not necessary as it could create unnecessary panic and discourage foreign investments in the country.
The US, in its advisory, had warned to its citizens in Nigeria to avoid major hotels in the country, citing some security threats targeted at the hotels in the large cities especially Abuja.
In its travel advisory, the UK warned its citizens against travelling to states like Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa ahead of the November 11, 2023, gubernatorial elections taking place in the states, following fears of potential violence during the polls.
However, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, who raised the concern of the Federal Government over the security alert during an interaction with senior editors in Abuja on Monday, said the government had consistently prioritised the safety and well-being of all visitors to the country.
Idris cautioned the UK and US authorities against generalising isolated security incidents and painting them as regular occurrence across the entire country.
“We understand the concerns raised by the United States government in their recent travel advisory, but believe that it is imperative that we do not generalize isolated incidents across the entire hospitality industry,” the minister said.
‘’What we have seen is that such advisories do not achieve anything other than needless panic, and they can have a severe adverse economic impact, not to talk of what they do to undermine the government’s efforts to attract investment.
‘’We have consistently prioritised the safety and well-being of all visitors to our country. We have implemented comprehensive security measures, both at the Federal and State levels, to ensure the safety of tourists and international guests.
‘’These measures include intense intelligence gathering, acquisition, and deployment of additional platforms, training, and re-training of personnel, cooperation with international law enforcement agencies, among others, to maintain a secure environment.
“We don’t think the security alert is helpful, if anything, it creates unnecessary panic and it has an impact on our economy because people would now begin to get afraid.
‘’They should rather emphasise what the government is doing to counter the threats and terrorism around the country and around the Federal Capital itself. But whether it has political implications, I don’t want to allude to that. I’m being careful in the way I characterize things.’’
