“Once we Africans came in the belly of ships as slaves” Weston weighs in on Nigerian passengers

The MP for St Philips South Lennox Weston has added his voice to those rubbishing criticisms by the United Progressive Party about Nigerians who arrived here on a chartered flight.

The UPP said in a statement on Tuesday that the travelers, about 100 of them, who arrived at the Jolly Beach Resort were not aware of the price of accommodation, which they could not afford at just USD 80 per night.

The UPP said such a low all-inclusive price is a virtual giveaway, yet these “wealthy Nigerians”, as Gaston Browne called them, could not afford it,”.

The men and women were indeed seen searching for accommodation at various villas and hotels.

But Weston said in remarks to Antigua.news that he doesn’t quite understand the hysteria about a charter flight from Nigeria bringing back people who are not wealthy but want to visit their brothers in the Caribbean.

“They can in the main only afford small hotels and guest houses, not luxury hotels with prices of USD$300-$400 a night. We all hope the flight grows and wealthy Africans begin to visit. We hope Antiguans too can book flights and check out West Africa,” Weston said

Adding,” let us all note and remember this shaky beginning of direct commercial flights from West Africa. Five years from now when it is as routine as a flight from Miami, New York, or London we will look back and laugh at the utter foolishness…”

He said lest we forget, “once we Africans came in the belly of ships as slaves and mere cargo, and it has taken 500 years to start direct flights from West Africa for black people who are free”

Weston believes that the entire situation is driven by “petty politics from shallow minds seeking to create hysteria from a great moment in the history of African travel to the Caribbean”

And, according to Weston…” some of us are so whitewashed our history we do not understand.