On Monday, the Lagos State Government shut down two hotel facilities in Badagry for contravening the guidelines issued to operators of hotels, clubs and other entertainment outfits operating within Lagos.
As part of govrnment’s efforts to curb further spread of the coronavirus, the closure came barely a few days after the State’s Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, led a monitoring team around the state to examine the level of compliance with the government’s directives on social distancing and restrictions by eateries and restaurants.
Speaking on the closure of Maggi Hotel and Tambari Theatre Art (Night Club), the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Solomon Bonu, ssid the facilities were shut for violating and contravening the orders of the Lagos State Government.
No hotel was meant to open and any with restaurants attached, like eateries, are meant to engage in packed foods and deliveries alone to avoid people sitting down to eat.
“It was also discovered that there is a high level of immorality going on in these places. The Night Club has become home for strippers, drug barons and all sorts of mischief,” he added.
Bonu, who also expressed displeasure with the unlawful practices by the management of the two facilities, stressed that the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture were not adhered to in spite of the government’s advocacies.
He disclosed that further legal action would be instituted against the owners of the hotel and night club to ensure appropriate sanctions are meted out.
Meanwhile, in Rivers State, the two hotels that were accused of contravening the lockdown order did not have it easy.
Unlike in Lagos, the Rivers State government resorted to immediate demolishion of Edemete Hotel and Prodest Home for allegedly flouting an executive order signed by the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, empowering him to enforce the lockdown.
The River State governor’s action had come under heavy criticism after he personally supervised the demolition of the two hotels. The governor however claimed that people who had tested positive to the virus had been found in hotels across the state.
The state’s lockdown rules has been described as “draconian”, ordering markets to shut down including those selling food.
However, he did not state if anyone who contracted the virus had been staying in either of the demolished hotels.
Nigeria has recorded over 4000 confirmed cases of the the coronavirus with Lagos at the epicentre at a time that hoteliers and other tourism facilities are asking for bail-out packages due to the heavy losses they have suffered since Covid-19 always declared a pandemic in March.