Entertainment
ENTERTAINMENT and Hospitality Industry in Kwara, under the umbrella of Events and Entertainment Group, has appealed to the state government to grant the members loans to remain in business and also keep their workforce.
The group made the appeal at a news conference in Ilorin on Tuesday. The group comprised Freelance Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria, Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria, Association of Juju Musicians of Nigeria, Association of Caterers and Restaurant Owners, Deejay Association, among others
A spokesman for the group, Mr. Ben Nwabor, said the organisation had laid off more than 50 percent of its staff members due to the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on their businesses.
Nwabor said the group suffered a lot from the COVID-19 lockdown which prevented them from holding events.
He noted that the association would continue to support efforts of the state technical committee on COVID-19 in the fighting against the spread of the virus.
“We were the first to be shut down immediately COVID-19 started and we are likely to be the last to be opened when the coast is clear.
“We want to ensure we conform with state government’s rules, we want to conform with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), rules, and the Federal Government rules.
“In conforming with all these rules, we in the entertainment industry are also entrepreneurs and we have about 5,000 people in the entertainment industry and maybe another 50,000 queueing behind them.
“Since the shutdown things have happened to us, our equipment is dilapidating because of lack of use, Secondly, our trucks are down because we can’t keep warming batteries, the halls have gone down because of social distancing,” Nwabor said.
He agreed that some events were going on in the state illegally but noted that its members were not part of the illegality.
Nwabor emphasised that the group was not asking the state government to give it money free of charge or all the palliatives being given because they are professionals.
He posited that hospitality and entertainment contributed about 60 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of a nation.
“We will not allow the COVID-19 to affect hospitality business in Kwara,” Nwabor said.
In his remarks, the State Chairman of Events Hall Owners and Rentals Association of Nigeria, Mr. Tunji Oniyangi, said the loan would go a long way in preventing the youth from losing their jobs in the industry. (NAN)
– Aug. 11, 2020 @ 15:12 GMT |
Tags: COVID-19: Kwara entertainment hospitality industry appeal for loan
