As Nigeria grapples with the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the economy, Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to lift the ban on domestic flights.
The Governor spoke on Sunday while inspecting the ongoing asphalting of the dualised Odukpani-Calabar Federal Highway.
The Governor argued that the continuous closure of Nigeria’s domestic airspace was impacting negatively on the aviation, hospitality and tourism sectors of the economy, warning that the adverse effects of another four weeks closure of the airspace could be catastrophic.
He appealed to the President not to lockdown the healthy but rather lockdown the sick and allow the healthy to work to enable the economy thrive.
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Governor Ayade said rather than ban domestic flights, the Federal Government through the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, NCDC, should devise strict guidelines to enable the local airlines continue to operate without escalating the number of Covid-19 cases in the country.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
