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As pressure mounts on bars, recreational centres and night club operators to remain closed down as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Presidential Steering Committee on Covid-19 have fallen under serious criticism by stakeholders who described the directive as paralysing those businesses even when there is no direct intervention fund for them.
This is against the backdrop that bars, night clubs and recreational centres were not directly captured in the Covid-19 palliative distributed by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Nigeria’s big cities like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Calabar thrive on night clubs, bars and recreational centres.
But the government expects them to remain closed.
Following the outbreak of the pandemic, the apex bank in late 2020 said it disbursed N3.5trn stimulus package to strengthen the economy.
The Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Muda Yusuf, who is at variance with the PSC decision said that shutting down those businesses is a huge problem for the hospitality sector.
The LCCI boss said, “As a matter of general principle, this thing should be done in a way that will also not disrupt businesses unduly.
“So if there is any sector that requires support, I think the hospitality, tourism and entertainment sector will be one of such sectors.
“The palliatives that were given under the Economic Sustainability Plan, were not very specific to the tourism and the entertainment sector.”
Yusuf said for some of the bars, night clubs and recreational centres, they have not been able to do any serious business in the last two years.
He said, “So, many of them are still grappling with the problem as we speak.
“And in any case even if they give a facility to a business that has been shut down, I mean how will he even pay back? Unless they are giving you a grant.
