The governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said that the aviation industry has been worst hit by the COVID-19 lockdown and that he was in talks with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to allow resumption of Lagos-Abuja flights.
He said the closure of airports since March 23 had had tremendous negative impact on the state’s economy.
Sanwo-Olu stated this yesterday when he featured as one of the panelists on ‘A global pandemic: local realities and peculiarities – a view from the frontlines’ a webinar programme anchored by the chairman, FSDH Holding Company, Mr. Hakeem Belo-Osagie, and the bank’s managing director, Mrs. Hamda Ambah.
The governor said the aviation industry, as well as the entertainment, hospitality and transportation sectors, had been significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
“So, the aviation industry has been badly hit and…I spoke with a major player in that industry and we are trying to get the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to see whether we are going to resume Lagos–Abuja flights before we get to other sectors. There has to be some gradual process in lifting the lockdown,” he said.
He added: “In terms of direct economy, I know that the entertainment industry has been affected badly. I know the hospitality industry has been affected greatly, especially as people could not go out. It affected those sectors badly. Transportation business and the aviation sector have been affected significantly and these are large employers of labour. We all know that Nollywood employs many people, so we are thinking through how to reset these economies very quickly but in a very gradual manner.
“We will continue to have engagements with all of the players down the value chain. At the right time when we see that the t’s have been crossed and the i’s have been dotted, we will do that and you can hold us to that.”
