
The Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN), yesterday said it had lost over N6 billion in the course of the lockdown caused by the ravaging COVID- 19 pandemic. The Chairman of the Association, Mr Patrick Lee, disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. He said since the lockdown in March, the industry kept losing N1billion on a monthly basis rendering most of the staff jobless.
Lee said: “We are appealing to the state and Federal Government to work together and allow us open our businesses, we have lost over N1billion every month that we have been locked down and it is over N6billion now in six months. “Most of our staff are currently unemployed and there are also over 20,000 people that depend on the industry in terms of supplies to the industry and those who work with Nollywood and artisans.
“We are at the point of bankruptcy, we want government to help us to reopen because we have been locked down for six months now and it is really disheartening. “We have seen some other aspects of the economy that are already opened and we have put enough safety protocols in place to ensure that when our customers return to watch movies at the cinemas, they are safe.