Federal Government has faulted recent travel advisory by the United States, saying it could cause unnecessary panic and hurt the economy.
“We understand the concerns raised by the United States government in its recent travel advisory, but believe it is imperative that we do not generalise isolated incidents across the entire hospitality industry,” said Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, at a parley with senior journalists in Abuja, yesterday.
According to the minister, “such advisories do not achieve anything other than needless panic, and they can have severe adverse economic impact, not to talk of what they do to undermine government’s efforts to attract investment.”
Idris insisted that the Federal Government has consistently prioritised the safety and well-being of all visitors to the country, and has also “implemented comprehensive security measures at federal and state levels, to ensure the safety of tourists and international guests”.
He said the measures include “intense intelligence gathering, acquisition and deployment of additional platforms, training and re-training of personnel, cooperation with international law and enforcement agencies to maintain a secure environment”.
The United States and the United Kingdom had issued security alerts warning their citizens of an elevated threat to major hotels in Nigeria.
The warnings came ahead of gubernatorial elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states, scheduled to hold on Saturday.
In a statement issued on November 3, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria said it had “credible information” that there was an elevated threat to major hotels in Nigeria’s larger cities.
The statement advised U.S. citizens to “exercise vigilance” and “consider avoiding major hotels altogether” in the days leading up to and during the elections.
Also, UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) issued a travel advisory on November 4, advising against all but essential travels to Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi.
The FCDO equally advised against all travels to Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and the riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States.
Speaking, yesterday, on the efforts by security agencies to arrest the situation, the minister assured of government’s dedication to ensuring the safety and well-being of all Nigerians and visitors to the country.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government said it made a lot of savings from petrol subsidy removal and passed the same to state governments to cushion effects of the policy on Nigerians.
The minister, who disclosed this at the parley, however, did not name a figure.
“So much money has been saved since removal of the subsidy. Some of the money that has been saved has been given to states. Mr. President believes that state governments are closer to the people than the federal government. That is why the administration has been passing funds through the governors to provide palliatives to cushion effects of the subsidy removal. I cannot give the exact figure right now because it is an ongoing exercise,” he said.
On the controversial presidential yacht in the 2023 supplementary budget, Idris said the craft had been delivered since June, noting, however, that it was not intended for the President’s pleasure ride as interpreted by some members of the public.
He said: “I think that information has been put out there and has generated a lot of controversy. But we want Nigerians to know that it is not as if it is for the comfort or enjoyment of Mr. President. It was procured for the Navy and, indeed, delivery has taken place since June of this year. So, it’s not as if the President is procuring a yacht for his comfort, to the detriment of Nigerians.
“You can also see that the House of Representatives removed the provision and added it to the students’ loan provision. The government is very sensitive. It’s always responding to the yearnings of all Nigerians and therefore, whenever there is any commentary or observation about some of the actions of the government, it will continue to respond appropriately to the benefit of all Nigerians.”
