Virologists and other health experts have warned that corrupt practices of airport officials who aid inbound passengers to evade the COVID-19 test may lead to the spike in infections in the country.
The PUNCH gathered on Sunday that passengers who were supposed to undergo the test were being aided to shun it by airport officials who were collecting between N10,000 and N15,000 bribes from them.
It was learnt that law-abiding passengers who paid the mandatory N51,400 for the test were sometimes not assigned to any laboratory by the officials.
A professor of Medical Virology at the University of Maiduguri, Prof Marycelin Baba, and other health experts who spoke to The PUNCH, blamed test evaders for the increasing infections.
They warned that unless the errant officials and the evaders are checked, the country will record more infections.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority had, in a memo dated September 11, 2021, relaxed restriction on inbound travellers without evidence of payment for their COVID-19 test.
According to the memo signed by the Director-General of NCAA, Musa Nuhu, airlines were directed to board passengers without evidence of payment for Day Seven COVID-19 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test or generate paid QR code/permit to fly.
The memo was titled “Permission for airlines to board passengers travelling to Nigeria who are unable to show evidence of payment for Day Seven COVID-19 PCR test or generate paid QR code/permit to fly”.
The NCAA stated that the decision was taken in view of the challenges some travellers to Nigeria were experiencing while trying to fill their health and travel history into Nigeria’s international travel portal.
Before, foreign travellers were required to show proof of payment for their COVID-19 PCR test before they were boarded.
The NCAA, however, said with the new directive, such passengers would be required to make payment for the repeat day-7 COVID-19 PCR test at their destination airports in Nigeria.
According to Nigeria International Travel Portal, inbound passengers are supposed to pay N51,400 each for the test at their destination airports.
The PUNCH findings, however, indicated that airport officials in Lagos and Abuja were cashing in on this directive to make illegal money.
Sources at the airports said the officials waved the test for passengers who could part with between N10,000 and N15,000.
A passenger, who confided in one of our correspondents, said, “When I arrived from Canada on September 17, I discovered that I was the only one waiting to pay for the mandatory test at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. After paying the money, another passenger told me he didn’t go through the hassle of undergoing the test after giving the airport officials N10,000.”
A security official, who spoke to The PUNCH on the condition of anonymity, confirmed there were reports of the illegal practice.
He said security agents would soon descend on the corrupt airport officials.
“We have reports of officials collecting bribes from passengers. We are monitoring them and we will soon fish out some scapegoats,” the security official stated
Narrating his ordeal, the law-abiding passenger, who arrived in the country on September 17, stated that an airport official assisted him with the documentation of his pre-arrival COVID-19 test because he was unable to submit his registration details prior to his arrival.
The traveller stated, “He asked me to pay and informed me that I would receive a receipt and details of my test centre via email. I paid the sum of N51,950:00 for my day seven COVID-19 test. But I have received neither the receipt nor details of my test centre.” According to him, he was supposed to take day 7 test on Thursday.
He further said that he sent to the airport officials, numerous emails requesting a receipt of the payment of N51,9500 and an email assigning him to a test centre, but his requests were ignored.
