On Friday, the Lagos State Government made it very compulsary for intending couples to get a clearance from the Government to hold a wedding ceremony.
In a statement titled: ”Stay At Home”, the Government said:
“Weddings and social gatherings must not exceed 300 people with prior clearance from the Lagos State Safety Commission,” the notice partly read.
Lanre Mojola, the Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission confirming the development said :
“If it is not a big wedding, maybe 50 people, 100 people, we are not really concerned. But if it is a large gathering with 300 people and above, it is mandatory that you get a clearance. It is a free clearance; no payment whatsoever.
“The process is not difficult, you go online and input the details of the wedding. There might be a requirement to have safety marshals on ground, depending on the size of the wedding.
“The move is to put in place some control measures to prevent super-spreader weddings and hold people accountable. It also helps us in planning. For instance, if we are envisaging 500 guests at a wedding, there will be more attention on them. We will do our regular patrols and visit such places to ensure that they comply with safety protocols.”
“We will also forward those locations to our brothers in LASTMA (Lagos State Traffic Management Authority) and LAMATA (Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority) to be on the lookout that there is a big wedding and many cars will be coming into a neighbourhood so as to aid efficient traffic management,”
“Any and all breaches of these regulations and public health protocols will lead to immediate closure (of event centres) as well as attract heavy fines, and any other sanctions and penalties deemed fit, in line with the Lagos State Infectious Diseases Control Regulation 2020,”