The Lagos State government on Tuesday said that residents and event centre owners should obtain clearance from the Lagos State Safety Commission to hold events during the Yuletide.

Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture disclosed this during a media chat held in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.

She said Lagos residents who intend to hold any form of event were advised to get clearance to guide against the spread of COVID-19 during the festive season.

According to her, such residents are to get clearance from the Lagos State Safety Commission and the Lagos State Ministry of Health.

The commissioner said the government bodies would guide event centre owners and individuals on the safety measures to put in place.

“I advise anybody willing to hold any form of event to take permission and clearance from the state ministry of health and the safety commission.

“This is a strategy the state has put in place to curtail the spread of COVID-19 pandemic during the Yuletide which is very reasonable,” she said.

Mrs Akinbile-Yusuf said the ministry had also suspended the planned Lagos fiesta which was initially slated to begin on December 1, in a bid to guide against the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

She said the ministry was not happy with the development, but the safety of the population was more important.

The commissioner said that plans were already in top gear until some health personnel alerted the ministry on the dangers involved in hosting the fiesta for which 24 artists had already been signed up.

“We discovered that just 2.6 per cent of Lagos population have been vaccinated, just too few, we don’t want to be held responsible for the spread of COVID-19, so, the One Lagos Fiesta is on hold,” she said.

Mrs Akinbile-Yusuf said the ministry would be hosting an art and craft expo in the first quarter of 2022, to give the Nigerian artists the needed exposure of advertising their artworks.

According to her, the ministry wants to focus on the promotion of local arts and crafts in a way to rub off on the life of Nigerian artists.

“The ministry will be hosting an art and craft exhibition next year, we know most artists do not have the resources to hold this, so we want to promote those in the sector and expose them to business,” she said.

Mrs Akinbile-Yusuf said that the ministry had been doing a lot in the promotion of tourism as the first batch of 150 tour guides had been trained to enhance their knowledge on how to welcome tourists.

She said that two more batches would be trained from January 2022.

“We are currently investing our time and energy in community-based tourism, trying to enlighten those at the grassroot level on the tourism assets in the state.

“We have been to Epe, Badagry, Ikorodu, Oshodi-Isolo, Surulere and Eti-Osa areas and we are working with the traditional rulers and the local governments,” she said.

(NAN)